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Firewire Question 6-pin/4-pin [message #93875] Sat, 22 December 2007 12:40 Go to next message
Nil is currently offline  Nil
Messages: 245
Registered: March 2007
Senior Member
I've been noticing that newer laptops that have a firewire port
are using these tiny little 4-pin ports... there are adaptor
cables for the 6-pin to 4-pin, but is it really the same
protocol? IOW, if you have an audio interface that has the
6-pin, is it simply that you just use one of these adaptor
cables to get it into the 4-pin, smaller ports on a newer
laptop?

Neil
Re: Firewire Question 6-pin/4-pin [message #93877 is a reply to message #93875] Sat, 22 December 2007 11:48 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dedric Terry is currently offline  Dedric Terry   UNITED STATES
Messages: 788
Registered: June 2007
Senior Member
Neil,

You can get a 4 pin cable to standard port at most office supply stores, or
Newegg.

AFAIK, the main difference is these are unpowered ports, so you'll have to
run any firewire devices off of wall power.

Regards,
Dedric

On 12/22/07 1:40 PM, in article 476d681b$1@linux, "Neil" <IUOIU@OIU.com>
wrote:

>
> I've been noticing that newer laptops that have a firewire port
> are using these tiny little 4-pin ports... there are adaptor
> cables for the 6-pin to 4-pin, but is it really the same
> protocol? IOW, if you have an audio interface that has the
> 6-pin, is it simply that you just use one of these adaptor
> cables to get it into the 4-pin, smaller ports on a newer
> laptop?
>
> Neil
Re: Firewire Question 6-pin/4-pin [message #93878 is a reply to message #93875] Sat, 22 December 2007 11:49 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Aaron Allen is currently offline  Aaron Allen   UNITED STATES
Messages: 1988
Registered: May 2008
Senior Member
4 pin does not power a device, 6 does. I believe that is the difference.
done a google for a pin out breakdown?

AA

"Neil" <IUOIU@OIU.com> wrote in message news:476d681b$1@linux...
>
> I've been noticing that newer laptops that have a firewire port
> are using these tiny little 4-pin ports... there are adaptor
> cables for the 6-pin to 4-pin, but is it really the same
> protocol? IOW, if you have an audio interface that has the
> 6-pin, is it simply that you just use one of these adaptor
> cables to get it into the 4-pin, smaller ports on a newer
> laptop?
>
> Neil
Re: Firewire Question 6-pin/4-pin [message #93881 is a reply to message #93877] Sat, 22 December 2007 13:01 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Neil is currently offline  Neil
Messages: 1645
Registered: April 2006
Senior Member
Ahhh... gotcha. OK, thanks, Dedric.

(still laptop-shopping, so i wasn't sure about WTF that style
port was all about)

Neil

Dedric Terry <dterry@keyofd.net> wrote:
>Neil,
>
>You can get a 4 pin cable to standard port at most office supply stores,
or
>Newegg.
>
>AFAIK, the main difference is these are unpowered ports, so you'll have
to
>run any firewire devices off of wall power.
>
>Regards,
>Dedric
>
>On 12/22/07 1:40 PM, in article 476d681b$1@linux, "Neil" <IUOIU@OIU.com>
>wrote:
>
>>
>> I've been noticing that newer laptops that have a firewire port
>> are using these tiny little 4-pin ports... there are adaptor
>> cables for the 6-pin to 4-pin, but is it really the same
>> protocol? IOW, if you have an audio interface that has the
>> 6-pin, is it simply that you just use one of these adaptor
>> cables to get it into the 4-pin, smaller ports on a newer
>> laptop?
>>
>> Neil
>
Re: Firewire Question 6-pin/4-pin [message #93899 is a reply to message #93875] Sat, 22 December 2007 19:45 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Chris Ludwig is currently offline  Chris Ludwig   UNITED STATES
Messages: 868
Registered: May 2006
Senior Member
Hi Neil,
Only difference is that 6 in delivers power.
If you are doing audio on the laptop make sure the laptop uses a Texas
Instruments Fire wire chipset.

Chris


Neil wrote:
> I've been noticing that newer laptops that have a firewire port
> are using these tiny little 4-pin ports... there are adaptor
> cables for the 6-pin to 4-pin, but is it really the same
> protocol? IOW, if you have an audio interface that has the
> 6-pin, is it simply that you just use one of these adaptor
> cables to get it into the 4-pin, smaller ports on a newer
> laptop?
>
> Neil
>

--
Chris Ludwig
ADK
chrisl@adkproaudio.com <mailto:chrisl@adkproaudio.com>
www.adkproaudio.com <http://www.adkproaudio.com/>
(859) 635-5762
Re: Firewire Question 6-pin/4-pin [message #93900 is a reply to message #93878] Sat, 22 December 2007 19:47 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Paul Braun is currently offline  Paul Braun   UNITED STATES
Messages: 391
Registered: September 2005
Senior Member
On Sat, 22 Dec 2007 13:49:47 -0600, "Aaron Allen"
<know-spam@not_here.dude> wrote:

>4 pin does not power a device, 6 does. I believe that is the difference.
>done a google for a pin out breakdown?
>

That is exactly right. The 4-pin was designed more for DV and still
cameras, whicih would be self-powered. You can use an adapter cable,
but if you're running a hard drive from a 4-pin connection, it WILL
need some sort of external power.

Most current DSLR's and digicams use usb2 now, which I'm not all that
fond of. My Olympus E-1, however, has both, and I always use FW.

Same thing with my iPod -- mine is the last model that still uses FW.
I don't give a rat's ass what the marketing whizzes claim -- firewire
was designed for continuous large flows of data, and still excels at
that. Really pissed me off when Apple caved to the
lowest-common-PC-denominator and abandoned the interface THEY FREAKIN'
INVENTED because most people on Windoze boxes don't even know what the
hell firewire is.....

Don't get me started.

pab
Re: Firewire Question 6-pin/4-pin [message #93901 is a reply to message #93899] Sat, 22 December 2007 21:18 Go to previous message
Neil is currently offline  Neil
Messages: 1645
Registered: April 2006
Senior Member
Interesting - thanks, Chris. I don't know if i'm gonna do that
yet, but I'm trying to have it as an option.

BTW, what about this new FW protocol i've been hearing about..?
I think it's called Firewire 3200 - supposed to be better for
audio, as well as video... not out yet, though, just in the
development stages.

Neil

Chris Ludwig <chrisl@adkproaudio.com> wrote:
>Hi Neil,
>Only difference is that 6 in delivers power.
>If you are doing audio on the laptop make sure the laptop uses a Texas
>Instruments Fire wire chipset.
>
>Chris
>
>
>Neil wrote:
>> I've been noticing that newer laptops that have a firewire port
>> are using these tiny little 4-pin ports... there are adaptor
>> cables for the 6-pin to 4-pin, but is it really the same
>> protocol? IOW, if you have an audio interface that has the
>> 6-pin, is it simply that you just use one of these adaptor
>> cables to get it into the 4-pin, smaller ports on a newer
>> laptop?
>>
>> Neil
>>
>
>--
>Chris Ludwig
>ADK
>chrisl@adkproaudio.com <mailto:chrisl@adkproaudio.com>
>www.adkproaudio.com <http://www.adkproaudio.com/>
>(859) 635-5762
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