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My first ipod classic i had had the battery connector snap off the logic board. I went ahead and bought another broken ipod classic off ebay, in hopes for the easy fix of the battery. When it came in the mail, I inspected it then opened it up to replace the battery with a new ipod classic battery i picked up. However, once I placed the cable into the connector, it immediately started to heat up and produce a smell like it was melting. I quickly took it out of the connector (carefully) and began looking around for answers. Its possible that the logic board may be shot, and as I was looking online for one, I notice that there are two model numbers for the same device, 820-1765-A (which is the one I have) and 820-1975-A. Can I use either one, or do I need to use the one that came with the original ipod for replacement?

Steven, 820-1975 is the iPod Video 5.5 gen motherboard. It should work with the 30gb and the 80gb iPod Video 5.5. The 820-1975-A board can be used to replace the older board, but it may require you to format the hard drive. The “started to heat up and produce a smell like it was melting.” does not have anything to do with that. Double check the battery connector on the board as well as the battery. It is possible that either the battery connector has issues (very common for this model) or your battery. Make sure that you installed the battery the right way ;-)