Great Use for that old iPod

I have owned several iPods over the years. My first iPod was a blue iPod Mini. I bought it in the original Audible promotion to replace my Rio. The iPod Mini had a 4GB hard drive and an aluminum anodized case. It came in several colors but for me the blue was the best. I eventually upgrade to a full iPod and later to an iPhone. This little blue guy made the rounds in my family before finally being deemed too old to use by my youngest child and I got it back.

The iPod still works great but the battery cannot hold a charge for more than a couple minutes. It has a great tiny screen and the aluminum case looks as good as new. I found a great use for it. I am using it in my blue car. The color makes it look like it was planned.

My car has a cassette player so I am using a cassette adaptor to get my music to my stereo. I have tried various FM Transmitters and do not consider them acceptable for everyday use. I have one that I use only when I am traveling in someone else’s car. The cassette adaptor provides good sound. It is not as good as a line-in or aux jack of course. The cassette player itself makes a little noise. I’m on my third cassette adaptor from having warn out my two prior ones.

Instead of plugging the cassette adaptor directly into the iPod, instead plug it into my Belkin Auto Charger. What makes this charger unique is that it provides a line out jack on it. I plug my cassette adaptor into this line out which gives me a constant volume level regardless of the volume level on the iPod itself. This charger connects to the iPod Mini via the dock connector leaving the top of the iPod free.

https://xevio.us/amazon/belkin-auto-charger-ipod-white

On the top of the iPod I have a Griffin Technology AirClick Remote Mini. This plugs into the audio jack on the top of the iPod Mini. The iPod Mini has a special audio jack with a control slot next to it. This used to be how a user would control their iPod. This was phased out of later models. The AirClick Remote can control the play/pause, previous/next tracks and volume via a wifi remote. It came in two flavors for the iPod and iPod mini. It in turn has an unused headphone jack exposed. Since I am not using it, the volume controls on the remote are not useful for me. The remote itself features a clip and a little sled. Using the included velcro® strap I have affixed the sled to my steering wheel. The clip connects to the sled and I can access the controls without taking my hands off the wheel. The iPod is stashed up under the dash. I only need to see it if I am changing playlists.

https://xevio.us/amazon/griffin-airclick-mini-remote-control-ipod-mini

I keep my iPod Mini full of Audible books and some music. I usually listen to Audible books on my commute. I do not use it for podcasts as I would like because that would require remembering to bring it into the house more often. As it stands now, I only sync about once a month when I buy new Audible books.

I foresee this iPod outlasting my car. It has taken a beating over the years. Even cooped up in a sealed car when the temperature is 110°ree; outside and probably 140°ree; inside the iPod still works. The LCD screen is completely black until it cools down.

Using an old iPod for a specific task like this is a good way to put your old equipment to good use.