Apple iPOD 3rd Generation 616-0159 Replacement Battery 3.7V 850mAh

Apple iPod 3rd Generation — 3.7V Li-Polymer Replacement Battery (616-0159)

This 3.7V, 850mAh Li-Polymer battery replaces the original 616-0159 cell in the third-generation Apple iPod. It fits the iPod 15GB (M9460LL/A), 20GB (M9244LL/A), and 30GB (M8948LL/A) models. The slim 4.80mm profile matches the original cell geometry for a flush fit inside the case.

• 3rd Gen iPod model compatibility: The 15GB, 20GB, and 30GB variants of the third-generation iPod all share the same 3.7V battery bay, connector pinout, and BMS communication protocol — which is why one cell covers the full range.
• Bench tested on actual hardware: We ran this cell through charge and discharge cycles on a 3rd Gen iPod board. The BMS accepted the cell without error flags, and the charge controller transitioned normally from trickle to constant-current to constant-voltage phases.
• Post-swap initialisation on 3rd Gen iPod: After installing a new cell, charge the iPod fully before first use. Units that have sat discharged for months may enter deep-discharge protection, requiring a slow trickle charge before the device responds to normal charge current.

Battery percentage jumping after a cell swap on the 3rd Gen iPod

The 3rd Gen iPod reads battery level by measuring cell voltage against fixed thresholds stored in firmware. A new cell has a slightly different discharge curve than the aged cell it replaces, so the indicator can jump — showing 80%, then dropping to 40% without warning. This is not a fault with the replacement cell. Run two or three full charge-to-discharge cycles and the firmware recalibrates its voltage-to-percentage mapping against the new cell's actual curve.

Playback cutting out before the battery indicator reaches empty

The iPod's audio amplifier draws more current during playback than the device's voltage sensor expects at low charge states. When the cell voltage sags under that load, the amplifier trips before the indicator hits zero. This is a real voltage sag issue, not a capacity problem. If it happens consistently, let the battery drain completely until the device shuts off, then charge uninterrupted to 4.2V before use.