Most iPods are shaped like tombstones. Coincidence? We’ve buried our share, but the strong music-playing interface keeps us buying more. When an iPod is finally ready for that great silhouetted commercial in the sky, recycle it to fill a new purpose. It’ll be much more useful than a taxidermied pet, yet still remind you of the good times.

 

Three of our projects reuse dead devices: making a magnetic picture frame, growing a desktop garden, and constructing a fashionable box for coins or trinkets. And don’t forget to check out MacLife.com for directions on how to gold-plate the back of an over-the-hill, working iPod. It might not be as thin as the latest ’Pods, but the extra flair will make it eye-catching again.

 

Follow our steps literally, or use these projects as starting points and get creative. Mix and match different ideas, iPods, and creations for unique results—nobody’s forcing you to make a picture frame out of a nano instead of a dead video iPod.

 

Just play it safe as you play it by ear. Wear a heavy leather glove when prying open cases. (A slipped screwdriver jammed into a hand is never fun.) We didn’t need power tools, but wear goggles if you do. And consider the iPod’s safety, too. Mask the displays and exposed areas if you’re concerned about scraping them while opening the case. And a thin, soft towel on a work area will protect the iPod and your workspace from more scuffs.

 

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Nano Picture Frame Magnet

Hold up kitchen coupons and photos.

 

Apple’s thin, snack-sized iPod nano is our favorite to be remade into a magnetic picture frame. The photo window may be the size of a locket necklace, but the finished project looks great on a refrigerator. It’s just a matter of opening the iPod up, digging out the old parts, attaching a magnet, and putting the case back together. The recipe is simple, but the results always impress.

 

Parts: iPod nano, small photo, powerful magnet
Tools: Guitar picks or other plastic prying device or a tiny flathead screwdriver, Phillips 000 screwdriver, hot glue gun
Degree of difficulty: EASY

 

 

 

After you wedge a guitar pick into the seam, work your way around the iPod to pop open the plastic tabs.

 

1. Open the nano case.
Flip the nano’s switch to Hold, locking the iPod into the off setting. Gently work a thin, flat tool into the tight seam between the metal backing and the case. We like to first aim for the section on the iPod’s side adjacent to the clickwheel, as seen in the image. Try to wrestle a guitar pick between the parts so that the pick points down, alongside the metal lip of the back. If you need to use a screwdriver to get started, use the thinnest, smallest one possible—any metal tool will likely gouge the plastic. Work the guitar pick around the iPod, unlocking the plastic tabs that hold the two halves together.

 

 

 

Once you can crack the case open about this much all the way around, unplug the ribbon cable and separate the two halves.

 

2. Separate the halves.
After lifting the back and front apart, don’t pull the pieces more than about a centimeter away from each other. Working with this slight gap, remove the ribbon cable connecting the parts. Pry or pull the circuit-board plug from its socket at the socket, not by yanking on the fragile ribbon cable.

 

 

 

Pulling the circuit board and battery out of the case.

 

3. Remove the iPod guts.
Use a Phillips 000 screwdriver (most eyeglass-repair-sized Phillips screwdrivers should work) to remove the four screws from the circuit board. Lift the part including the battery straight out of the case. Underneath, gently lift (or pry with a medium-sized flathead screwdriver) the screen off its glued position. Separate its ribbon cable and set it aside.

 

 

 

Once the screen is gone, replace it with your favorite picture.

 

4. Add a picture.
Print and attach a small picture to the LCD window. The iPod will show 1.25 by .88 inches of a photo. We like to print one slightly larger and trim it as needed. Tape it into place.

 

 

 

Be careful when using a hot glue gun.

 

5. Attach a magnet.
Use a conservative amount of hot glue to place a small, strong magnet inside the metal backing. We tried several kinds of magnets and had our best luck with a powerful, thin one salvaged from an old desktop hard drive. The slick backing of the iPod needs extra force to stay still on a fridge, and a hard drive magnet holds it tightly.

 

 

 

Stuck to the fridge, it’s one eye-catching magnet.

 

6. Close and hang the nano.
Leave the clickwheel alone and close up the iPod by gently pushing the two halves back together. The tabs will snap into place, locking up the nano tightly. Place the nano on a fridge or other metallic surface—just keep it away from any still-in-use hard drives that the magnet might erase.

 

 

 

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First-Generation Desktop Garden

 

Bring nature to your desk with a bonsai tree, cactus, or other plant in an iPod.

 

Our desks are cluttered with in-review products, papers, cables, hard drives, empty soda cans, and nothing to remind us of the landscape outside of technology. Add some green with this wry, first-generation iPod planter. If the case is tilted slightly, excess water drains out of the FireWire and headphone ports, but feel free to drill a few drainage holes between steps 3 and 4. We planted a small bonsai tree, but any petite plants will work to keep the air -- and a workspace -- fresh.

 

Parts: First-generation iPod, small circuit board (optional), soil, plants
Tools: Guitar picks, tiny flathead screwdriver (optional), T6 Torx screwdriver, drill (optional)
Degree of difficulty: MEDIUM

 

 

 

Work the guitar pick all the way around to separate the plastic tabs that hold the iPod shut.

 

1. Crack open the case.
Activate the Hold switch to keep the iPod from waking up on the operating table. Gently insert a guitar pick or thin, flathead screwdriver into the tight seam between the metal back and plastic front. Use a plastic tool as much as possible, because a metal screwdriver might gouge the plastic part of the iPod’s case. Begin working from the top of the iPod, along the metal backing near the FireWire port and parallel to the screen. Separate the plastic tabs that hold the iPod together on all sides. Lift the halves apart.

 

 

 

When the iPod is open, remove the battery and hard drive from the metal half of the case (shown on the left).

 

2. Remove the battery and hard drive.
Unplug the battery cable from its socket, being careful to remove it by its plug and not by pulling on its wires. Lift the hard drive (and glued-on battery) from the headphone jack end, pivoting it on its still-attached ribbon cable. Hold the cable end connected to the hard drive, and pull the drive out of the socket. The hard drive and battery can be set aside.

 

 

 

After unscrewing the Torx screws, you can access and remove the circuit board and scrollwheel from the plastic half of the case.

 

3. Remove the circuit board and screen.
Unscrew the four Torx screws with a T6 Torx driver. Lift the entire circuit board out of the plastic housing. Then remove the scrollwheel, leaving just the white plastic front and empty metal back.

 

 

 

We dig our mini tree, but use any plant you like. Bamboo or cactus could work.

 

4. Add foliage.
Rinse the case and add dirt to the metal side. Try to keep the dirt close to the edges but with a tiny gap. Plant a garden to rise out of the scrollwheel hole. We seated a bonsai tree, trimming the plant’s original root structure and spreading it out to accommodate the shallow, wide tray of dirt. (We regularly trim the tree to match this base shape, keeping it from growing too tall.) Or try a cactus or another small plant.

 

 

 

Put something in the screen window unless you want to look at the dirt. We used a circuit board.

 

5. Make a scene.
We set a circuit board from another dead iPod above the dirt. It shows through the screen window, playfully reminding us of this iPod’s previous life. Or, if you try printing something to sit behind the window—we tested a happy iPod icon—be sure to laminate it to protect it from the moist dirt.

 

 

 

Dress up your desk and start conversations. Just don’t forget to water the tree.

 

6. Close and grow.
Fit the plastic case around the plant and press the two halves together. With a little effort, the tabs should lock the case together. If not, try to make a small trench in the dirt to leave room for the tabs. Keep your secret garden watered and well lit.

 

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Mini Parking Meter Change Box

Save money on tickets when you pack an easy-to-tote coin purse.

 

The iPod mini’s aluminum case makes a great shell for small objects, like our parking-meter change. While an iPod mini mint box seems like a fresh idea, we advise against putting anything edible inside—the solder and circuits that previously lived there might have left tiny amounts of contaminants that aren’t healthy to eat. Otherwise, fill up the mini box with buttons, high-end earbuds, or anything else.

 

Parts: iPod mini, ribbon
Tools: Hobby knife and/or guitar picks, dental pick (optional), tiny Phillips 000 screwdriver, ribbon, glue
Degree of difficulty: MEDIUM

 

 

 

You want to pry off just the plastic caps (top and bottom) first.

 

1. Pop the top.
Slide the switch to Hold, then pry off the plastic top and bottom caps. These are thin, slightly flexible parts held on only by glue. We’ve had the best luck carefully slipping a thin hobby knife or guitar pick between the plastic cap and the aluminum housing. Once in place, gently pry the cap back. Note that the caps are thin, and it’s easy to slip the knife or pick below that level and attempt to pry up the metal layer underneath—stay at a shallow depth to avoid this mistake.

 

 

 

Free the metal arms one at a time.

 

2. Remove the bottom plate.
The exposed metal plate on the bottom of the mini locks into place with its four curved arms. Those elbows fit into small recesses in the aluminum case. Use a dental pick or small nail in those parts’ holes, or gently push and pry each arm out of the slot. Work from the right side first, and avoid contacting the ribbon cable on the left side. Remove the plate. Gently lift the ribbon cable straight out of its socket with a dental pick or thin screwdriver shaft.

 

 

 

Once the teeny screws on the top end are gone, push the iPod guts right out the top.

 

3. Remove the insides.
Locate the two tiny Phillips screws at the top of the case (the headphone jack side). Remove them. Push the dock connector, sliding the screen and internal parts through the top of the case. Grab the sides of the circuit board and pull it the rest of the way out. Leave the clickwheel installed.

 

 

 

If you use ribbons for hinges, you won’t lose the top cap piece every time you want to open ’er up.

 

4. Reattach the ends.
Block the dock connector hole on the plastic cap. We covered it with a small ribbon glued into place. Then glue the cap back onto the bottom of the iPod. You may need to remove any remaining original glue from the part for the best fit.

At the top end of the case, glue two short ribbons to the inside of the aluminum and the plastic cap. These will become hinges. Give them a little slack, because the recessed design prevents the cap from opening fully if the ribbons are too tight. (Optionally, block the headphone-port hole with another ribbon.) Fill the iPod with parking meter change or any other small objects, and close the top.

 

Freelance tech journalist Zack Stern likes to apply Apple’s old “Rip, mix, burn,” mantra to the gadgets themselves. His interpretation is rarely literal.