Charge Your New iPod with Old iPod Chargers
Posted 03/29/2010 at 3:42pm
| by Scott Rose
I paid good money a couple of years ago to have an iPod-compatible car stereo installed, but it was worth it. My fifth-gen iPod stays charged all the time, and I don’t have CDs all over my car anymore. But then I got a new iPod nano, and when I connect it to the cable, I can play music, but it won’t charge the iPod. What’s up with that?
The most likely problem is the voltage the iPod is getting. Older iPods (fifth-gen and earlier) can charge on either the FireWire spec (3.5 volts) or the USB spec (5 volts). But new iPods need that 5-volt charge.
Luckily, Scosche sells a handy little widget that can convert the voltage, so both old and new iPods will charge just fine. The IFWA Charging Adapter ($29.99, www.scosche.com) has a pass-through port, so you plug your car’s cable into one end and your iPod nano into the other. If you have any dock-equipped speakers in your house that won’t charge new iPods, Scosche’s IFWAH Charging Adapter for Home Docks ($39.99, pictured below) has a dock-shaped fit that will prop your iPod up better than the rectangular IFWA.

This little gizmo is all that stands between your iPod accessories and your power-hungry iPod.