FireWire 800 for iPad.

FireWire 800 is:
*3~4 times faster to transfer data.
*Provides 12v of power (vs. 5v), 2x the power (1A) to quickly charge those hungry batteries.
*USB2 needs a lot of CPU power to make it work becuase it is a "dumb" connection.
Their is plenty of space to add FireWire 800 into the iPad, and the benefits will be welcome by all (even PC users)

PracticalMac wrote:
and you can easily buy a FW800 card for desktops for $39, it is not as bad as you think.
Which is a really ridiculous statement if you actually think about it ..
Q : Hi, I'd like to buy an Pad.
A : Sure, here's one in 32Gb that will suit you fine
Q : Thats great - do I need anything else ?
A: Sure, there's a card you need to install in the guts of your computer, but don't worry, you can pay Best Buy to dismantle your computer, wreck it and give it back to you in pieces if you can't install it yourself.
Q: Isn't there a simpler version for non-technical people ?
A: There used to be an port which 100% of computers had, but we decided to use a port which most people don't have and don't use just to make our sales difficult.
Q: Ah, thanks. I 'll but a Netbook instead.
Maybe after Apple ditched the FW interface on the iPod Mini they knew how it would work out.

Similar Messages

Upgrading my intel iMac to internal SSD and running 1TB external drive from firewire 800 for mass storage while still using a second external drive for backups...my goal-speed with a SSD, to still have 1TB of room for everything i have now..possible?

I seem to kill HD's every two years...the last two i've installed were WD Caviar Black 1TB 7200rpm 3.5" drives. The speed gains over stock drives have been remarkable. I don't blame the drives for the failures, my machines are up and running 16 hours a day, every day, year round. They die from 'mileage' so to speak...i assume...there's no viral acvtivity or questionable downloads to gunk things up...just lots of work.
I have my third new drive ready to install in my intel based iMac...but i've had a thought...I want to install a SSD in my iMac for the speed gain (and recent price drops)...for standard storage i want to use this new WD Caviar Black 1TB in an external drive bay and connect via firewire 800 for storing everything except the OS and my most commonly used software...am i crazy? will the firewire 800 external drive negate the speed gained with an internal SSD??
I have four iMacs in my office, and one at home. I buy second hand and install new drives and boost memory. I'm going to do this on my 'home' machine...if it works out well i want to upgrade the other three this way...but first i need to know if i'm just dreaming, or will it really make a difference? or even possible??
Thanks!
2.66 intell core2duo
2009 iMac
8gig ram
1 gig hd
OSX ver. 10.8

The SSD gives great bootup and Application launch speed. I think it also speeds up the video rendering a bit, I do all that on the SSD and then move the finished project to the external drives. As far as the speed for the external drives they are quick enough for viewing video and the file transfer rate is good. I had initially put the SSD into an external cradle (FW800) and the system was faster than on the internal drive. I only got a 1.5GBs SATA drive, perhaps yours could benefit from the 3GBs. I know the 6GBs would be too fast and costs a lot more, even the MacPros need special hookups to make use of the 6GBs.

What is FireWire and what FireWire adapter do I need to use FireWire 800 for my portable external hard drive ?

Hi guys, I'm new to Mac. I have a MacBook Pro 13" (late 2011) with Lion OS and Parallels 7 (Windows 7). My understanding is that there is FireWire connection / extension built in to the MacBook Pro already. I also have a Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex portable external hard drive 750GB USB2.0 and 3.0 (that can be used for PC and Mac). It states that the portable external harddrive is FireWire 800 compatible. The questions are (1) how does FireWire works ? (2) how do I use or activate FireWire 800 ? (3) is there any setup / setting changes I need to on my MacBook Pro ? (4) what FireWire adapter do I need to purchase to connect my portable external harddrive to my MacBook Pro ? Is it expensive ?
I read a few articles online but they are too technical for me. They mentioned something about FireWire adapter with 6 pins or 9 pins. Not sure what that means. I'm totally confused. So any help, advise or guidance will be much appreciated. In Layman's term would be better. Thanks.
How about Thunderbolt ? Is it compatible with the above external portable hard drive mentioned ? Do I need a Thunderbolt adapter for it ? How do I activate or use Thunderbolt ?

Thanks, Clinton and Alberto.
The below link is the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex portable external hard drive (product code STAA750302) that I have. It states that it features USB 2.0 or 3.0 plug–and–play connectivity and easily upgradeable to USB 3.0, FireWire 800 or eSATA. It only comes with a 18-inch USB 3.0 / 2.0 backward compatible cable.
http://www.seagate.com/au/en/external-hard-drives/portable-hard-drives/standard/ goflex/
Based on the above, my understanding is that I need to buy a FireWire 800 adapter to connect to the portable external hard drive so that I can use FireWire 800 with my MacBook Pro. Is this correct ? Do I need to get a separate cable as well or can I just use the 18-inch USB 3.0 / 2.0 backward compatible cable that was provided in the box ? If so, what sort of FireWire 800 cable do I need to get ? 9 pin to 9 pin ? 6 pin to 9 pin ? Or 4 pin to 9 pin ?
https://www.lindy.com.au/online/arrshop.exe?anonymous=true&cat=b1

ExpressCard vs Firewire 800 for HD-editing?

Hi,
I'm just started at a filmschool and I need a laptop for HD-editing.
I was looking at the new MBP 15'', but it doesn't have the ExpressCard / 34 slot.
Is this a big problem? When isn't firewire 800 good enough?
Thanks in advance
Sjogogo

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
I Import AVCHD files into my MacBook Pro over both Firewire and USB and don't find either interface a problem overall. With 10GB+ files it takes a while with either but there's no faster option ...

Time Machine won't mount Firewire 800 drive after restart / Finder crashes

I've been having problems with Finder crashes. I first suspected Spotlight might be the problem because sometimes when I started typing a search, it would display the first 3 characters and then lock up. I could force quit the Finder, but it wouldn't relaunch and required the computer to be shutdown and restarted with the power button. Once restarted, I had no keyboard and no mouse click (the mouse would move across the screen but I could not click on anything). After waiting several minutes (3-5) the mouse and keyboard worked properly.
After some research suggested the Spotlight index might be corrupt, I forced Spotlight to rebuild the index (add the drive to the exclude list under "Privacy" and then remove it from the list) and then repaired disk permissions. After that Spotlight was noticeably snappier and I thought my Finder crashes had been solved until........
Part 2: I have been using Time Machine (connected to a Fantom GreenDrive via Firewire 800) for several months now and ever since the beginning, I have noticed that the drive will NOT mount after a restart. I must turn the drive off and back on again to get it to mount. After that Time Machine picks it up and seems to work fine.....well, that is until this Finder crashing thing started several weeks ago. Anyway, I inadvertently set up an experiment last weekend when I installed some software update and forgot to remount the Time Machine drive after the restart. That was last Sunday night. The computer did not crash all week long. I thought my Spotlight fix had finally solved my problems, but now it seems I was wrong. This morning (Saturday, six days later), I noticed my Time Machine drive was not mounted. I mounted it, told Time Machine to "Back Up Now" and went away for a few hours. When I came back the Finder was locked up.
So guess my question is this: Are there any know problems with using Firewire 800 with Time Machine? and What can I do to fix this? In the meantime I'm trying another experiment - I've disconnect the Firewire 800 connection and replaced it with USB.

shaneeudy wrote:
So guess my question is this: Are there any know problems with using Firewire 800 with Time Machine?
Hi, and welcome to the forums.
Not in general. Some drives don't always wake or "spin up" fast enough; often that's seen when the system wakes from sleep, though, not so much after a system Restart. Many Western Digitals do that; I don't recall seeing any posts here about yours, but you might want to search the forums for Fantom
In the meantime I'm trying another experiment - I've disconnect the Firewire 800 connection and replaced it with USB.
Good plan - that may provide a clue.
Also, check with the maker -- there may be a firmware or driver update.
And try verifying your internal HD, and repairing your backups, per #A5 of Time Machine - Troubleshooting (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum). Either might cause that.

Firewire 800 to VGA?

Hey guys and gals. I've run into an issue. In September, I bought the 21.5" iMac (Mid 2011) which of course has Thunderbolt. I intend on getting a 21.5" Dell Display to accompany my awesome new iMac. (insane machine. renders 1080p like a beast) I've decided to get the Dell display since it has HDMI, which I will use with an Xbox 360.
This is all relevant, since I also want to purchase Blackmagic Design's Thunderbolt HDMI Capture Card, the Intensity Extreme to record gameplay. As you may know, the 21.5" iMac only has one Thunderbolt port. For the display, I'd need to use it for Mini-DV to VGA, and for the Intensity Extreme, I'd need to use it since it uses Thunderbolt.
So, is it possible to use Firewire 800 for the display? Is there a Firewire 800 to VGA adapter on the market? Or alternatively, Is there a Thunderbolt hub or any plan to make one?
Thanks guys.
To answer any questions:
1. Blackmagic doesn't make a USB or Firewire capture card, only PCI Express and USB 3.0, neither of which the iMac support.
2. I don't want to settle for a different capture card like, say, the Hauppague HD PVR. Sure the quality is nice, but Component cables are very messy and the Dell display that I'd like is HDMI. Very handy.

So, is it possible to use Firewire 800 for the display? Is there a Firewire 800 to VGA adapter on the market? Or alternatively, Is there a Thunderbolt hub or any plan to make one?
Nope this will not work, there is no such adapter. Regarding a hub I was able to find this article:
http://michael.olivero.com/post/2011/09/16/Thunderbolt-Hub-Has-Arrived!.aspx
However I don't know if it has been released yet, I'd recommend contacting Belking to inquire.
Had you gotten a 27" iMac they have two Thunderbolt ports, you could easily connect one to use a minidisplay port adapter to the Dell display and the other for another Thunderbolt device.

I need a firewire-800 external drive tower

I currently have several external hard drives each individually connected via FireWire 800, all drives chained together via the FireWire 800 in-out connectors.
What I really need is a 4 or 5 bay hard drive external tower of some kind to reduce desktop clutter. And a tower that has FireWire 800.
I've found several 4 bay storage towers but that all are for RAID usage.
I don't need RAID. I'm not even sure if I could disable the RAID part, and just use the tower simply as external storage/expansion (which is what I want)?
I've read some of the user manuals on these RAID towers, and it seems the units are meant for RAID use only.
I don't know much about RAID, except that it mirrors one drive onto another as a safety backup.
Does anyone know where I can get an external 4 or 5 bay tower with FireWire-800 for extra storage only? No RAID needed.
Or... can the RAID towers just be used as external storage?
If so, how might the RAID feature be disabled? Or can it?

I'd recommend you call OWC http://eshop.macsales.com

How imortant is a Firewire 800? (imac 24" versus imac 20")

Hi,
I've been using Logic on a 1 ghtz PowerBook G4. I am ready to upgrade.
After looking over everything, I really don't feel I need to spend the $$ on the ProMac - as I think it's too much power for me at this moment. I'd rather buy a new computer when I have the need for more power - and by that time - everything is twice as fast/more bells and whistles and cheaper.
So - I was seriously considering the 24" iMac - basically because of the firewire 800. Problem is - I don't know how important that is to me. I've been holding off buying a pro audio interface (like the Ensemble or RME 800)... I mainly do MIDI (I'm a pianist), but, want to be able to record live musicians in the future as I have a couple of nice mikes.
So tell me - should I go 24" iMac or 20" iMac? For the $600 I'd save buying a 20" iMac - I could buy another 20" screen. But - no Firewire 800 on the 20".
Again - how important is the Firewire 800 for me?
Thanks!

Two reasons:
1) If you use a FW800 device by itself, you get
800Mbps (100 MBps). If you combine FW400 and FW800
devices on the same bus, the FW800 device will
operate at 400Mbps (50MBps), giving you a total
maximum throughput of 100MBps, over the two devices.
ahm. i know that the two firewire busses share the same connection to the cpu. you can see this at
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/HardwareDrivers/Conceptual/iMac0609SuperDrive/index.html
actually i assumed that apple would be smart enough to build the computer in a way that it's not the same if you connect a fw800 device to the 800bus and a 400 device to the 400 bus than if you connect a 800 and a 400 device to the 800 bus (which obviously would clock the 800 bus at 400 speed.
so you are saying that as soon as i connect a 400 device to the computer ALL fw buses become 400, even the one that's labelled fw 800?? where did you get that information?
AND...
2) The PCI bus to which both FW ports are attached
has a maximum throughput of 133MBps. Even if the
FW800 and FW400 ports operated at full-speed when
devices are mixed (they don't...see point 1), you
wouldn't be able to get full bandwidth anyway, since
100MBps (FW800) + 50MBps (FW400) = 150MBps, which
exceeds the max bandwidth of the PCI bus.
how do you know that the pci bus has 133mbps throughput max? all the information that i found is that it's a 33mhz 32bit pci bus...does that automatically mean it has 133 mBps throughput or what...?
i just ordered a 24" imac mainly for the reason that i need one 800bus for audio interface and harddrives (many tracks) and one 400 bus for dv video at the same time. if both of your statements are correct i will cancel the order immediately since i could do the same things with a 20" imac an the screen would be sufficent for me. and should any problems arise i'll sue the **** out of apple for misleading information about their products. i mean you can't label a buss 800 if it is not if you max out the capacity of the computer. that seriously ****** me off...
if you have a link to an apple tech note that clarifies things...i'd really appreciate it...
all the best...

Can i use Iomega 1TB MiniMax Hard Drive FireWire 800/USB for ipad 2 to access videos without using mac or pc ?

can i use Iomega 1TB MiniMax Hard Drive FireWire 800/USB for ipad 2 to access videos without using mac or pc ?

No, you can't connect an external drive to the iPad - the iPad doesn't have a USB or firewire port and the camera connection kit only supports the transfer of photos and videos into the Photos app. There are some wifi-enabled drives that can be used to stream content to the iPad e.g. Seagate GoFlex Satellite

How do I capture tape-based media to my external hard drive? There is only one firewire 800 port on the back of my I mac. The manual says to import tape footage directly into fcpx, but then I lose my external hard drive. thanks for your help.

In FCP X How do I capture tape-based media (hdv clips)- which I want to import-to my external hard drive? There is only one firewire 800 port on the back of my I mac. The FCPX manual says to import tape footage directly into final cut, which works, but then I lose my external hard drive Do I have to import it into an event, then copy it over to an external hard drive? On Larry Jordan's tutorial, he has 3 external hard drives that show up on his monitor WHILE he imports his tape based media. How is that done? I can only get either the camera to appear OR my external hard drive. thanks for your help.

Thanks for your response, but that doesn't solve the problem. Yes, the LaCie hard drive has 2 firewire ports-
I have always done what you suggest (works fine in FCP7), but in FCPX when I do that the camcorder icon
does not appear. It only shows up when I DIRECTLY import the footage via firewire. ????

What FireWire 800 drive (2.5") to build/buy for MacBook Pro?

Hello community, this topic is to request a little help choosing a FireWire 800 storage solution. About once every two days, I need to run a virtual machine, either Windows XP or Ubuntu. The disk image is currently located on an external USB 2.0 Western Digital hard drive, which is also used for not-speed-sensitive storage. Performance is decent, as long as I quit all possible application before launching (I have 4GB RAM, planning on 8GB upgrade very soon) and don't launch too many apps in the virtual machine, however, I feel performance is lagging since I can see the virtual hard drive indicator turning red most of the time, and the 4 white LEDs on the WD going back and forth (although it doesn't necessarily indicate heavy activity). Especially, restoring to and from saved states routinely takes 45 seconds or more. The external drive is about 90% full most of the time, and may be a contributing factor to the slow feeling. Hence, I thought about putting this FireWire 800 port to good use, and plug a compatible drive in it. I had the following requirements:
3-year warranty an absolute minimum, 5 years
would be ok (my current WD MyPassport has 5). Reason is I consider if manufacturers trust their drive for 5 years, it shouldn't be a source of worry for many years to come. I consider 2-year warranty to be substandard drives.
2.5" form factor. Reason is I rarely happen to have enough room or steady power to lay and plug a full 3.5" drive, unless it uses a battery, which is extremely rare and would add bulk in my bag.
Ability to saturate FW800 port. I think a more performant drive would be a waste of money since they constantly go down in price, and I may be able to get a better deal by the time I switch to Thunderbolt-based MacBook Pro. Admittedly, this is a "soft" requirement, given expected use.
Under $150 (would come to $170 tax,S&H included)
I understand pretty well that the two latter points come in opposition and need a compromise, so I think a large compromise on drive size is to be expected. So far, I thought about these solutions:
Fully manufactured, i.e. Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex + FW800 dongle. Major drawback: dongle is expensive, and appears to use a proprietary connector. If it breaks, impossible to replace it quickly. Alternative: LaCie Rugged (pretty big for a 2.5" drive), G-Tech (usually quite expensive).
Handmade from performance platter drives, i.e. Western Digital Scorpio Black + FW800 enclosure. Major drawback: wouldn't saturate a FW800 port since it comes in SATA300 flavor only, but I get the strong feeling it would perform better than many manufactured drives.
Handmade from SSD, i.e. Corsair + FW800 enclosure. Major drawback: from this page, major compromises would have to be made on capacity. Affordable SSDs seem to be limited to 40 or 60GB, and while I don't put capacity as a priority, I may have to use the high-performance drive for other tasks, such as editing short high-def movies, or add a third virtual machine. Considering the Windows virtual drive needs to be around 15GB, and 25 for Ubuntu, 60GB wouldn't leave enough elbow room.
What solution would be better advisable, and what arguments would you put forth for it?

Reply on a dead topic:
After a word, Macally used the Oxford chipset. So Macally I went, and put a Scorpio Black 500GB inside. Ran fine, but I got it stolen in a coffee shop a few days after I started to use it. Had no time yet to do a backup, so data was lost. Surveillance cams weren't working at the time of the theft, nobody has seen anything, and, as usual, police won't do anything about it.
Second drive I got was also a Scorpio Black I put inside the Mercury Mini enlosure from OWC. Marginal difference experienced from the Macally, but most recent Oxford chipset would ensure fewer head parkings, that are very noisy and unsettling, so much I thought there was something wrong with the drive, and still think there is, despite reassurance from Western Digital.
The mobile drive I happen to use is the lesser-performance G-Drive from Hitachi, a 750GB version.

Firewire Hubs For Use With A New Firewire 800 External Drive

I currently have 3 HD daisy chained to one of my Firewire ports. I have an older Firewire iPOD with a dock that is attached to the other Firewire Port.
I need more storage capacity so I am planning to get 1 Tetra La Cie - this model. I have had excellent experiences with LaCie.
(LaCie 301442U d2 Quadra Hard Disk 1TB eSATA/FireWire800/FireWire400/USB 2.0 External Hard Drive (Aluminum).
I would be using the new HD as a Time Machine Device and possibly as backup for my music library which is currently on one of the external HD's and backed up to a second HD.
I don't have available ports.
Are there Firewire Ports which would be functional?
Should I be considering some other sort of configuration?
This is an iMAC 24" bought in October 2006
Thanks

My music library is housed on an external hard drive so Time Machine can't be used since it requires an operating system on the source files...
That's not true. You can back up files and folders on an external drive using Time Machine, as long as they are not on the same volume as the Time Machine archive. You just go to System Preferences +Time Machine+ pane. Click on the Options button. All external drives are on the +Do not back up+ list by default. Remove the external drive (with your iTunes files) from this list of things excluded from backup.
If don't want to include everything on that external drive, put the folders you do not want backed up on the +Do not back up+ list. What I've done for my external FireWire drive (which is my primary data storage volume since my internal is only 160GB) is create two main folders. They are called Documents and +Documents (not backed up)+. They serve as an extension of the user account folder on the internal drive. Files and folders I want backed up go into Documents. Files and folders that are non-critical go into +Documents (not backed up)+. So then, the external drive volume gets removed from the +Do not back up+ list, so that Time Machine backs it up. But I put the +Documents (not backed up)+ folder back on the +Do not back up+ list so that only the Documents folder gets backed up.
If you do daisy chain off the FireWire 800 port, be sure to put the 800 drive first on the chain. Putting the 400 drive before the 800 drive will reduce the speed to the 800 drive to 400 speed.
perhaps the beach ball I often get when working with iTunes is a product of the speed of the data being accessed on the external hard drive.
My +iTunes Music+ folder is on an FireWire 400 external drive. I do not notice any issues with iTunes accessing the files. That drive is attached directly to the iMac's port with no daisy-chaining behind it. If the free space gets low, the files and remaining free space will get more fragmented, and that can also cause such issues.

Firewire 800 External Hard Drive recomendations for recording

Ok so I posted a week or so ago about a bad experience I had with a firewire 800 external drive. Anyway, Im sending it back and getting a refund but I wanted to confer with you guys about a good, but cheaper (under $100 please) firewire 800 drive thats good for recording to. This will be my recording HD. Can anyone recommend some for me? and shooting a link to a place that sells it would be appreciated! ..and the more recommendations the better

Hi Veena, Welcome to Apple Discussions.
And you've tried choosing the volume and pressing the "Mount " icon on the tool bar of Disk Utility?
Have you shut down your Mac and disconnected your firewire cable from both ends and let it sit about ten minutes then reconnect and try. Also, it is important to disconnect the AC power to your Mac, this helps to reset the FireWire port(s).
Do you have TTP or DW, both of which you could use to try to mount it.
It is also possible that you have a bad cable or a bad port, do other FW devices work?
-mj
[email protected]

First Gen MacBook Pro and no firewire 800. Suggestions for capturing video?

My first gen MacBook Pro only has one Firewire 400 port and nothing else (I got in a argument with a mac store clerk regarding the truth of this statement). My external hard drive has one Firewire 400 port, two Firewire 800 ports, and 1 USB. So far as I know the standard for most video cameras are still Firewire 400, in which case daisy chaining is out of the question (considering I will be using that port to connect to my computer). Any suggestions on how to capture video straight from a deck to my external hard drive?
Thanks!
MacBookPro1,1 Mac OS X (10.4.9)

I think you can use a FW800/400 adapter and daisy chain your camera to the drive.
http://www.amazon.com/Sonnet-FireWire-800-Adapter-FAD-824/dp/B0000CDJPQ

Using the firewire 800 port for my firewire 400 devices

I will be purchasing, at long last, a new mac mini to replace my faithful and well behaved G4 mac mini. I have a 20" cinema display and an external firewire 400 backup drive with the same form factor that sits below the mini. I would like to continue to use these peripherals as well as my video camera DV out. Ideally, it would be cool to have a FW800 hub that had both 800 and 400 places to plug my peripherals, but I don't see that available. Should I get a hub and adaptors for the fw400 components I want to add, or use the hard drive with an adaptor to the mini, then use the FWports on the drive for the monitor, and whatever else I want, thereby using the drive as a hub...
Any advice to this ignorant question would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Paul

Since Firewire 400 devices still operate at Firewire 400 speeds regardless of whether or not they are connected by adapter to Firewire 800 ports, the best thing to do is just get a Firewire 800 to 400 adapter, and attach it to a Firewire 400 hub known to be able to do all the functions you desire.
Note, migrating to Intel Macs from PowerPC Macs is not as easy as the Migration Assistant, as this user tip explains:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=435350&tstart=0

FireWire 800 for iPad.

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