Build An External iPod Battery On The Cheap

If you're going to take a trip away from civilization for a while, bringing your iPod might seem like a good idea. Until your battery dies and you're stuck with carrying around a useless brick. You could always buy a fancy external battery, but who wants to spend that kind of money?

If you're a brave soul, and aren't afraid of your soldering iron you can make an external battery for next to nothing. The process is rather simple, using only 8 batteries, a holder for said batteries, a Firewire socket, a diode, a bic pen and some zip ties. If Iljitsch over at Infinite Loop can make an external battery out of that stuff, just imagine what MacGyver could do with it.

According to Iljitsch, you should be able to get at least five full charges on your 5G iPod out of 8 NiMH batteries. That's not bad for a simple, DIY battery pack.

How-to: Build an external battery pack for your iPod [via infiniteloop]