Sprout Pi Mainboard Adds Bluetooth and USB-C to Old iPods
The Sprout Pi Mainboard replaces the internals of older iPods, adding Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB-C and microSD storage while keeping the original screen and click wheel.
A new replacement board called the Sprout Pi Mainboard aims to give old iPods a modern second life. It swaps out the internals of the third- and fourth-generation iPod and the first- and second-generation iPod mini, adding wireless connectivity and USB-C while the familiar display and click wheel stay in place.
What the upgrade adds
Once the board is installed, the player gains Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The 3.5mm headphone jack gets a Hi-Fi DAC for better wired sound, and a USB-C port handles charging and data transfer. A microSD card slot supports cards of up to 2TB.
The player handles MP3, AAC, ALAC, FLAC and Opus files. Users connect it to a computer over USB-C and drag and drop music across, or download streamed music over Wi-Fi. Wireless earbuds such as AirPods now work, and audio can be sent to speakers through Google Cast or streamed to an iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple TV via AirPlay. Apps and games are also supported, including an Etch A Sketch-style drawing app.
Two versions
The board comes in two variants. Sprout Pico runs on a Raspberry Pi RP2350 and plays a personal music library and podcasts. Sprout Pi adds a Raspberry Pi Compute Module Zero, which enables streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, podcast streaming and the onboard apps, making it the more capable of the two.
Why it matters
Typical iPod mods have been limited to swapping the battery or replacing the hard drive with flash storage, and the player still needs iTunes and wired headphones. According to the maker, the Sprout Pi Mainboard needs no soldering, so the swap is within reach of hobbyists. For owners with an old iPod in a drawer, or anyone willing to buy a used one, it offers a way to build a current music player in a classic shell.
Apps worth a look
SUMO: the number puzzleTap the right tiles, add them up, hit the target. Easy to learn, hard to master. Free, for all ages.
Dialo: learn languages by speakingTalk to an AI conversation partner; every sentence comes back corrected and explained in your language. 9 languages, A1 to C2.
ediviewer: read EDI files like documentsOpen EDIFACT and X12 messages, see every segment explained, convert to JSON/XML, export PDF and Excel. Runs locally, no upload.
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