Apple iPod Video 5th Gen Replacement Battery VK385879 3.85V

Apple iPod Video 5th & 5.5 Gen 30GB — 3.85V Li-Polymer Replacement Battery (VK385879)

This 3.85V, 2830mAh (10.9Wh) Li-Polymer battery replaces the original cell in the Apple iPod Video 5th and 5.5 Generation 30GB media player. It fits the slim 30GB chassis and connects via the standard flex ribbon connector used across both generations. Capacity figure is from the product specification — not extrapolated from web sources.

• 5th and 5.5 Gen 30GB fitment: Both generations share the same physical cell footprint (86.00 × 40.90 × 5.00mm), the same ribbon connector pinout, and the same 3.85V voltage rail to the Wolfson audio DAC. The 5.5 Gen added a brighter backlight and search function but kept the identical battery bay, so one cell covers both.
• Bench tested on actual hardware: We cycled this cell through the iPod's charge controller and confirmed the BMS accepted charge from both USB and FireWire voltage profiles. The protection circuit held cutoff at the expected low-voltage threshold without false trips during audio and video playback loads.
• Post-swap trickle charge step: After fitting a new cell, connect the iPod to a charger and leave it for at least 30 minutes before pressing the menu button. Cells shipped in storage state sit below the threshold the iPod's charge IC needs to initiate a normal charge cycle — skipping this step can cause the device to appear dead even with a fully functional battery installed.

Battery percentage jumping around after a cell swap

The iPod Video reads state-of-charge by mapping open-circuit voltage to a fixed lookup table burned into the PortalPlayer firmware. A new cell has a different discharge curve profile than a worn original, so the firmware's voltage-to-percentage conversion will be off until the cell is fully cycled. Run two or three full charge-and-discharge cycles and the percentage display will stabilise at accurate readings. Do not judge the replacement cell's condition by the first charge readout.

Playback cutting out before the battery indicator shows empty

The Wolfson WM8758 audio codec and the hard drive spin-up motor both pull current simultaneously during track changes and video seeks. At the tail end of the discharge curve, voltage sags below what the drive needs to spin up reliably, and the iPod cuts out even though the indicator still shows one bar. This is a voltage-sag issue, not a capacity issue. If cutouts happen consistently during video or during rapid track skipping, charge the device when the indicator drops to one bar rather than waiting for it to reach zero.