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| Altoids iPod Shuffle Case |
| Written by Adam Whitlock | ||||
| Saturday, 26 March 2005 | ||||
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The Altoids iPod Shuffle Case
or The 30 minute "I'm Cheap, but Fashionable' Mod
Adam Whitlock
So how many of you have been looking for an easy-to-do mod? An iPod shuffle mod perhaps? Well, this is just one of many that are available out there. I have heard of many iPod shuffle case mods, some that incorperate Saran Wrap, or some sort of cloth wrapped around with Velcro to keep it in place. This mod, a common one, is actually not my idea (yeah, I know), though I will give props to to the person who did it. So if you want to see the original case, the links are at the bottom of the guide. My mod, though, does not use foam, but instead uses Styrene to keep the Shuffle in place. I hope you find this guide just as useful.
Required Parts :: Altoid Chewing Gum Tin - $3
Total Cost :: $8.25
Step 1 :: Setup You will need to either consume all the gum, or dispose of it. I just laid it out on my desk so I could grab them later. Clean out the tin if you want. I prefer the minty freshness that an Altoids tin provides. After you get rid of the gum, you will need to cut out some Styrene. Styrene is a cheap plastic that can be found at an hobby store, or model railroad store, you can find. The Styrene is going to be used to make a floor inside the Altoid tin so the Shuffle will sit flat, and also as place holders to keep the Shuffle from moving. Keeping it steady can save for accidental scratches inside the case later on. Using an X-acto knife to score the plastic, you can break if fairly easy. Not too much pressure is needed to score the Styrene. Styrene can come in blank or textured sheets. I prefer getting a textured sheet because the other side is blank, and the textures usually provide for a good pre-made scoring line.
The Styrene, like I said, is going to be made into a floor for the Shuffle. You will need to cut it into a shape that will fit into the tin. It could be an ugly rectangle, but rounding it a bit makes it look better. Please take the time and try to round it. Also, after cutting the floor, you will need a few other pieces. "1" 5mm spacer that will be glued from the top hinge to keep the Shuffle in place AND "2" 12mm wide pieces to keep the USB plug portion from slipping around. After those are cut, if you feel like it, make more spacers. The more, the merrier!
Step 2 :: Assembly
Well, there you go. The two most important parts of the mod have been done, except drilling. Depending on how you are, it may be easier for you to gauge where to drill the hole after gluing in the floor and putting the iPod Shuffle into place. If not, go on ahead and drill the hole for the headphone jack. If you are, then get the CyanoAcrylate(CA) glue out and lightly put some on the metal. The CA glue will bond with the Styrene very well. It's almost too impressive. After gluing in the floor and having the hole drilled, you will need to add those spacers now. On my Shuffle case (see pictures), I added the spacer that glues to the top part near where the bottom of the Shuffle would be. Why I put it towards the bottom was that the headphones would keep the top part of the iPod Shuffle in place. The spacers for USB were placed on either side of the plug (see pictures). I used a small amount of CA glue and waited for it to dry before putting my Shuffle in.
Step 3 :: The Finished Product
After inserting your iPod Shuffle into your new tin, you should get something similar to this!
ChriSamo's Original iPod Shuffle Altoid Case Links ::
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