Apple iPod Shuffle USB interface pinout

Similar to this, among custom keyboard builders it&#x27;s quite popular to have USB handled connected via TRRS headphone jacks between split keyboard halves [0] [1] and sometimes even the keyboard -&gt; PC Connection being a custom TRRS -&gt; USB cable or other exotic variations. [2]<p>[0] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;keeb.io&#x2F;products&#x2F;trrs-cable" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;keeb.io&#x2F;products&#x2F;trrs-cable</a><p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;docs.splitkb.com&#x2F;hc&#x2F;en-us&#x2F;articles&#x2F;360010443660-Kyria-Build-Guide-TRRS-Jack" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;docs.splitkb.com&#x2F;hc&#x2F;en-us&#x2F;articles&#x2F;360010443660-Kyri...</a><p>[2] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.kingcables.org&#x2F;products&#x2F;custom-straight-usb-cable" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.kingcables.org&#x2F;products&#x2F;custom-straight-usb-cabl...</a>

I have an iPod shuffle first generation and the form factor is nearly perfect. It has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack on one end and a USB-A connector on the other end. Unfortunately, the battery is dead and not very user serviceable. For something like working out or tuning out, it’s about as minimalist as is functional and if storage wasn’t an issue, could double as removable storage.

It&#x27;s worth noting there were at least 3 other de-facto standards for USB to TRRS: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;qph.cf2.quoracdn.net&#x2F;main-qimg-d6cc903458ff8fcfa304d945f9152a51-pjlq" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;qph.cf2.quoracdn.net&#x2F;main-qimg-d6cc903458ff8fcfa304d...</a><p>One problem with using TRRS for USB is that Vbus can be short-circuited while plugging and unplugging; the clones of the 2nd generation Shuffle tended to use a regular mini-USB instead, which offers the advantage that it can be charged while listening: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;tarkus-notes.com&#x2F;en&#x2F;chinese-mp3-player-ipod-shuffle-clone&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;tarkus-notes.com&#x2F;en&#x2F;chinese-mp3-player-ipod-shuffle-c...</a>

The first version of USB should have used TRRS connectors. Then wouldn&#x27;t have people complaining about inserting the cable incorrectly or having to deal with the plethora of USB connectors.

One of these is still currently in use in my household -- we&#x27;ve got a kid that likes music but is not yet old enough for any &quot;smart device&quot;. Super portable, clips to the very over-ear headphones that it&#x27;s plugged into!<p>I was never sure if I&#x27;d need to recreate make some cable for it, or if it&#x27;s battery would fail first.

Despite a long history of avoidance, it appears I will finally have to learn about the Apple iPod&#x2F;iTouch as part of what might well be computer archaeology at this point.<p>But I suppose, looking back, much of my computing history is doing weird and unlikely stuff for a strange payoff, so at least I am consistent.<p>My hope is that I can avoid iTunes, which, on Windows, has a reputation for trashing collections willy-nilly.

Are there any pure - no OS or screen - mp3 players around that accept bluetooth?<p>I&#x27;m running my little sony walkman mp3 usb stick into the ground, but it only accepts wired in ear phones, and they tend to break a lot (and are now starting to confuse young salesman in electronics shops).

Is this for the POS one that had no controls at all?

... did this get posted because of that meme on reddit? I couldn&#x27;t figure out why such a cable would exist, or if it really did.

This 1&#x2F;8&quot; TRRS connector is about 5 billion times better than any of the Mini-B, Micro-B, USB-C stuff that came out later.<p>I break a USB cable every week just because it gets wedged between 2 standing desks, stuck in office chair, gets slammed in car door, bent by thigh while in pocket connected to device, etc.<p>The people who designed USB Micro-B and USB-C are probably people who sit in an office all day and never bike, ski, etc. They don&#x27;t realize that &quot;consumer grade&quot; stuff needs to be 10X stronger than military grade. Consumers connect devices together, stuff everything in pocket with wires connected and go skiing. Military people just sit in an armchair behind bulletproof glass and fire.<p>Never had a 1&#x2F;8&quot; headphone jack break that way, I&#x27;ve dropped bricks on those things, stomped over them, biked over them, had them sucked up by vacuum cleaners and vacuum robots, chewed by pets, they&#x27;ve been largely fine. A 1&#x2F;4&quot; headphone jack once got wedged between two standing desks and it was strong enough that the whole desk lifted off and the cable was intact, the jack barrel alone supporting the entire 100 kg of desk with everything on it. Cable still functions perfectly. REAL consumer grade stuff.