Okay, now I feel really stupid. What I hadn't recognized was that I needed to click the brown piece back down (i.e., perpendicular to the back of the iPod). The upward click, to unlock the battery cable, was subtle enough on the removal that I didn't realize I had done it. A bit of experimenting with slightly more vertical pressure and some other online videos showed me how to do it. Recharging now to see if this solves my problems. More obvious directional arrows on the inset photos would be helpful.

But how do I put the cable of the new battery back in place? I thought my new battery wasn't charging, but when I reopened the iPod just now, the cable came loose very easily, and I can't figure out how to click it back into place. A photo sequence would be very helpful here. When I insert the cable into the slot between the brown plastic and the contact point, the hard drive whirrs, so the battery is charged, but how do I click it into place so that contact is maintained? I don't want to break anything!

Fixed it! Look at the configuration of the blue bumper clips in the close-up photo of step 6 that shows the repairer removing the battery feed.

I have those clips, too. They’re shown on blue in these photos, but mine are grey. They go on either side of the main grey bumper that protects the area around the charging dock at the bottom of the iPod, and you can see them in the photos that demonstrate how to remove the battery cable once you open the back of the device. But I can’t figure out the precise configuration to get them back in!

I’m confused. I received the battery replacement kit and have done everything to this point but don’t know what to do with the battery itself. I assume i remove the 3M adhesive cover, but do I leave on everything else that’s wrapping the battery once I remove it from the plastic envelope that it comes in? Or is there additional wrapping around the battery that needs to come off??