Can anyone recommend someone in Sydney who can repair an ipod touch 4th generation with a broken 30 pin connector (i.e. the bit at the bottom where you plug the ipod in to charge or copy files)? I have spoken to a few places, but no-one seems to have the right part.
A few repairers referred me to the manufacturer, but Apple will only replace the device at a cost of $129. I don't really want to pay that much. The device is not very robust and is likely to break again somewhere else at some time.
Firstly, I doubt it would be possible to replace the connector without using a solder reflow oven.
If you don't have access to one of those, then;
1) Look for a unit with a broken screen on eBay*. Disassemble both and substitute your working screen into the broken one. (I don't know how easy - or not - this might be)
*Make sure you buy one with equivalent or larger storage than your current one cause you'll be using the memory chip of the eBay one..
or
2) Cut your losses and buy a replacement from Apple for $129…
The fiddliness of the repair (even if it is possible) is going to cost close to, if not more than that anyway!
Take it from someone who has tried: that device, and especially that issue is not repairable due to glue, fragile cables and tiny parts that will be damaged by the amount of heat required to remove and replace the dock connector. You can buy the part you need cheaply and easily on eBay, but you will not be able to replace that part to anywhere near the factory quality for less than the cost of replacing it. If it fails again you've wasted your time and money, and will have lost the $129 option as well. An apple replacement will come with consumer law guarantees as well so you will have some kind of warranty on the repair. If you need to get data off it, the best option would be to solder a new fresh fully charged battery onto the motherboard then transfer content over wifi, or talk to some place like Ontrack.
Best of luck!