A modern
motherboard
for old iPods.

Sprout comes in two flavours. Both offer Bluetooth audio, Wi‑Fi, a HiFi DAC and digital audio over USB.

Sprout Pico is built around the Raspberry Pi RP2350.

Sprout Max adds a Raspberry Pi Compute Module Zero, adding music streaming and custom apps.

Sprout replacement iPod motherboard

A modern
motherboard
for old iPods.

Sprout comes in two flavours. Both offer Bluetooth audio, Wi‑Fi, a HiFi DAC and digital audio over USB.

Sprout Pico is built around the Raspberry Pi RP2350.

Sprout Max adds a Raspberry Pi Compute Module Zero, adding music streaming and custom apps.

Everything else is exactly the iPod you remember.

  • Bluetooth
  • Wi‑Fi
  • Hi‑Fi DAC
  • 500,000 songs*
  • USB‑C
  • Apple Music
  • Spotify

*when used with a 2TB SD card

Sprout comes in two flavours. Both offer Bluetooth audio, Wi-Fi, a HiFi DAC and digital audio over USB. Sprout Pico is built around the Raspberry Pi RP2350. Sprout Max adds a Raspberry Pi Compute Module Zero, adding music streaming and custom apps.

The Sprout board seen from a low angle: a Raspberry Pi compute module and an RP2350 on a board cut to the shape of the iPod's original logic board, with the SD slot, headphone jack, dock connector and ribbon-cable sockets along its edges.

Sprout runs SproutOS — a lightweight shell with a familiar interface. But underneath it's just a Linux computer, so you can run whatever you like on it.

Sprout works with iPod mini (1st and 2nd generation), iPod 4th generation and iPod 3rd generation.

Max Pico
Raspberry Pi Compute Module Zero—
Raspberry Pi RP2350Raspberry Pi RP2350
Offline MusicOffline Music
HiFi DACCS43131, through 3.5 mm headphone jackHiFi DACCS43131, through 3.5 mm headphone jack
Bluetooth audioBluetooth audio
Digital audio outover USB CDigital audio outover USB C
WiFiWiFi
Music streaming*
  • Spotify
  • Apple Music
—
AirPlay streamingAirPlay streamingPending investigation
Cast to Google Cast speakersPending investigationCast to Google Cast speakersPending investigation
USB C
  • Data transfer
  • Charging
USB C
  • Data transfer
  • Charging
Podcasts
  • Downloads
  • Streaming
Podcasts
  • Downloads
  • —
Custom apps—
Up to 2TBSD card supportUp to 2TBSD card support
40-hour batteryContinuous music playback over Bluetooth with a 2,500 mAh battery20-hour batteryContinuous music playback over Bluetooth with a 1,200 mAh battery

*as of September 2026. Music streaming APIs change all the time

Fitting Sprout doesn't require any soldering — just a screwdriver and a plastic opening tool. You open the iPod up, lift out the old motherboard, and drop Sprout in its place.

Everything else stays: the original screen, the original click wheel, the original ribbon cables, all connecting up just as they did before.