iPod capacitive pad

[The Dong]

Has anybody got any prior hacking experience of one of these or know a 
bit more than I do about them? I have a broken old iPod....

It's the capacitive touch spin wheel and 5 buttons built into the pad. I 
believe it has a synaptics controller, but am unsure of the interfacing. 
Could it be USB or a simpler mech?

It could make a rather reliable replacement for a mechanical rotary 
encoder + buttons on something, if the data can be interpreted.