Daniel Eaton Ipod Shuffle Charger  A custom Ipod Shuffle charger can be built with minimal effort. Why would you want/need a custom job? Personally, I needed a car charger for a long road trip (gotta have my tunes), and it's not hard to envision other scenarios where a powered USB port isn't readily available. Besides, building and soldering your own is more fun than overpaying for one online. Back to my main page. Parts: Female USB connector. I used a USB hub. After tearing out all the electronics, I got an enclosure, in addition to the connector. DC source (>5V). I cannibalized an old cell phone car charger. New ones cost about 2$. Use your voltmeter to measure voltages (mine had 2 signal wires, +7.2V & ground). +5V Voltage Regulator (LM7805). Easy to get. Easy to use. Tools: Soldering iron, solder. Wire. Voltmeter. An enclosure. Cutting tool, glue, screwdriver, ... Connecting everything is straightforward, and I wasn't the first to write a guide on the topic. Here are two thorough references -- iPod Shuffle Charger (Jeff McFadden) and USB Battery (Jason Striegel). But I will say... Important: Both USB signal leads (the inner two) need to be grounded. If you forget this step and jack in a Shuffle, it will turn on (flash green) momentarily and then do nothing. Jason Striegel's more general USB battery will not work on a Shuffle for this reason. Remarks: If everything is right, the Shuffle's amber LED will flash on and off. Unfortunately, you can't play music while it's charging. I didn't bother attempting to filter engine noise with capacitors. I figure the Shuffle has some kind of internal electronics to handle small fluctuations, and in any case I haven't had any problems yet; however, I don't use the charger when I start or turn off my car. Pictures! Scroll down to see the charger's guts.