If your iPod recently celebrated its third birthday and you listen to it regularly, the chances are its battery life may be quickly waning. But have no fear, there are several ways to fix the problem, it just depends on how much you’re willing to spend.

There are three ways to fix a dead battery once the iPod is out of warranty: buy a new iPod, have Apple fix it or replace the battery. A new iPod would cost roughly $250, and if an iPod is sent to Apple for out of warranty repair on a battery, it will cost about $65.95.

However, the do-it-yourself approach to replacing the battery of your iPod can run as low as $18 (which includes battery and tools) and have your iPod up and running in as little as 20 to 30 minutes. The tools can usually be found at almost any local hardware store. A replacement battery can be found via eBay or with a simple Google search for $10-$30.

Materials/Tools Needed: Replacement Battery Small prying device Torque Screwdriver size #6

1. Insert the prying device between the plastic and metal casing of the iPod, starting at a place away from the headphone jack, and slowly pry the two halves apart. Carefully separate the two halves by laying them next to each other as to not rip the ribbon cable.

2. On the main board, the largest circuit board in the iPod, at the top right corner is the square bracket making a connection to the headphone board. Gently pop this up from the main board and set the metal shell to the side.

3. Remove the piece of black tape from the ribbon cable connecting the hard drive to the main board. Gently wiggle the hard drive ribbon cable from the main board and set the hard drive aside.

4. Remove the ribbon cable nearest the battery; then proceed to carefully remove the main board as to not damage the LCD ribbon cable.

5. There will be a jack containing red, black and white wiring connecting the battery to the main board; disconnect the jack from the main board. Unscrew the main board from the white casing.

6. The battery is glued to the white casing, note its position and use the prying device to extract the battery. Place the new battery in the same place as the old one. Use steps 1-3 in reverse order to put the iPod back together. It may take a little work getting the case back together at the end; this is normal but the cases should close together completely without excessive force.