This DIY project turns an iPod into a Spotify player powered by a click wheel

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Classic iPods have their fans, but they’re not made for the modern era of music streaming – except for this one, which was turned into a Spotify player by handyman Guy Dupont. While it may look like an iPod from the outside, on the inside it has a Raspberry Pi loaded with custom software by Dupont to interface with Spotify, while maintaining the classic iPod style. He calls it the sPot.

In a video showing the project and the underlying process, Dupont says he was inspired when his stepmother gave him the old iPod. In a Hackaday article he said he “forgot how good it is to hold and use any of these things”, but wanted to update it with modern features including (obviously ) Spotify streaming, bluetooth audio and search. That’s right, the device can search the entire library of Spotify and stream it.

*We don’t need an iTunes library where we go.*

Dupont put a Raspberry Pi Zero W inside the iPod because Spotify requires an internet connection – which most iPods don’t support. It also enables custom interface and Bluetooth audio. The sPot also needs a bigger battery to power the Pi, but all of the hardware still fits in the original iPod case.

Dupont was able to keep the scroll wheel interface – and he even managed to improve it. There is now haptic feedback when scrolling, instead of the single audible click. But while many original buttons are present, not all of them have been as faithfully preserved as the click wheel.

The hold switch now controls power, instead of locking the iPod to prevent pocket scrolling. And as long as the headphone jack is still there, it does nothing (RIP to a real one), because the audio output is managed by Bluetooth. It also ditches the original 30-pin connector for an easier-to-find micro USB port in 2021 that handles charging.

*The headphone jack is now just for decoration.*

Gif of Dupont using the scroll wheel to navigate his custom interface — *That nice scroll wheel action.*

If you wanted to create one yourself, Dupont has posted all the code you will need on GitHub. He also created a Hackaday page detailing the other software needed to run Spotify.

If you’re like me and want to have your own sPot, the video should give you pretty much everything you need to get started. Performing the fastest search for the parts it listed, the project will cost around $ 100, plus the price of the iPod if you don’t already have one. But even if you don’t feel like making one, the video is definitely worth watching just to experience the glory of what a modern iPod could look like and to see this really cool project come together.

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