Ipod USB Charger

the Apple brand ipod charger is outrageously expensive. i bought my 1st gen nano from a friend for $50, the Apple usb charger is $39.99. to make this unit, i will show you how to take apart a dc wall adapter without ruining it.

Step 1 Opening the wall wort

opening these can be quite difficult. i found that cutting of the cord at the base and prying the case apart is the easiest method.
I used a chisel to slice the cord at its base, no damage to the case.
As you can see in the photos the chisel is facing away from the plastic so it doesn't gouge it.

Comments

[pancho del rancho]

how much waz dat thing with the wheel

[acoleman3]

that "thing with the wheel" is a dremel with a cut off disk. depending on how many speeds it has or how many accessories it comes with, they can range from i believe 19 to the mid 40's at walmart. on a more personal note? learn how to spell mate. ive seen 2nd graders who spell better then that.

[tbakhsh]

I have a modded wall wart, it originally lets out 5v, so i just put in a usb cord. it charges other usb things fine (psp) but it wont charge my ipod touch. it worked when the ipod had an extremely low battery. like it wont let you do anything, only shows a battery. but when it turned on, it stopped charging.

[pyromaniac_alert]

You might not be running the right amount of current for your particular ipod. Try searching for the power rating of your ipod.

[Andruha1123]

can someone please tell me, what pins are used to charge video ipod 30gb, 5th gen. i bought one on amazon, and it doesn't work, it does have connector tho, so i might make it work if i know what pins are used to charge. thanks in advance!

[terd_ferguson]

it is possible to stab yourself with a screwdriver. trust me

[llamafur]

yes, lots of things are possible. *sending a drywall screw through your thumb. *burning your chin with a red hot welding rod. *slicing your finger open with 24 gauge wire. *cutting your self with "safety scissors" these are just a few.

[orangesrhyme]

You know this from personal experience, huh?

[terd_ferguson]

Yeah, sadly. but I've learned from that mistake.

[alex-sharetskiy]

yay hot glue!

[mickoc]

you might want to mention in your instructable that the wall wart has to be 12v or less, depending on your regulator. or is the highest voltage wallwart 12v?

[llamafur]

regulators have to have an input that is several volts above the output. for this one, my transformer had a 12 volt DC output, the regulator changed that to 5 volts DC.

[xnifx]

or you can just go to Big Lots! and buy one for $4.99. Thaaat's right. And it FOLDS UP TOO!

[llamafur]

you know, thats a good idea. plus it might have some extras inside it.

[dchall8]

I missed something. Where did you get the regulator originally? Is that something you get at Radio Shack or do you have to make it?

[tysonscott2002]

he got the regulator from a previous project (the car charger), but you can buy those at radioshack. im still not clear on where he puts it in the curcuit though..

[llamafur]

the regulator is a 5 volt phone charger. It takes 12 volts DC and converts it to 5 volts DC. My AC plug has an output of 12 volts DC, which is perfect for the regulator circuit. if you can't find the phone reg then a 5 volt reg (7805) from radioshack would work. you may want to install a heat sink to the regulator, as it does get hot.. heres a basic drawling of the circuit.

[GorillazMiko]

wow, great instructable! and i love that song What I've Done.. i listen to it all the time :-)