Firewire adapter to USB, correct one

I'm still working on the old G4. We do have in our parts bin a dvd/cdr writer player but it is USB. What specs do I need to look for to use an adapter between the firewire and USB of the drive. Walmart has several on their site but the specs are lost on me.

Most should work if they are USB 2. Note, the pre-September 2003 Powerbooks only support USB 1.1, which is really slow at only about 15 Mbps. Use
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6413 to determine your Mac's age.
For all 15" and 17" Powerbooks there are USB 2 PCMCIA cards if they are older, though they likely won't give enough power for computer powered optical drives.
Not all DVDs are readable. Some formatted Joliet or UDF may only work with other software:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3003
Some optical drives will require a special firmware to work with iDVD, or other Apple DVD based applications.
Some DVD interactive content is only available to Interactual's DVD player for the Mac. VLC Client offers some DVD compatibility that Apple's own does not.
http://www.macsales.com/ sells external dvd drives that work with all Macs and all Apple software.
As others indicated Mac OS X won't boot from USB DVD drives.

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Scsi to Firewire adapter

I want to use my old microteck scanner with my iMac but since my scanner uses a scsi, I would need an adpapter.
Couple of questions:
1. Should I get a scsi to Firewire or scsi to USB? Which is faster (I'm guessing firewire but not sure)
2. Where can I get these adapter for a great deal?
Thanks.

I can't directly answer your question, but I would suggest the FireWire adapter. I have one and it worked great with my Epson scanner and my Zip Drive. (Remember those?)
I will check tonight and let you know which unit I have.
Also, if your driver doesn't work or is not available, VueScan should work great to drive your scanner.
Message was edited by: Keith Barkley

USB to Firewire Adapter for camcorder?

Can I use a "USB to Firewire adapter" to import footage from a USB ported Mini DV camcorder?

You'll find one for shure<<</div>
Don't they make microphones and other audio products?
-DH
http://www.shure.com/index.htm

Will a USB 3.0 to FireWire adapter make my transfer rates faster?

I have a MBP 2010 15 inch that only has a measly UB 2.0 and a (less measly) FireWire port. I have an external sea gate 3tb backup plus desktop hard drive that had a USB 3.0 cable. However, as stated earlier, my MBP only has a USB 2.0 port. But it seems the FireWire port might have better transfer rates. If I used a USB 3.0 to FireWire would it have greater transfer speeds, and by how much? If there is an even better way to connect my hard drive to my aforementioned MBP, please tell me. And if anybody has a good adapter recommendation, please tell me.

There is no such thing as a USB-FireWire adapter/converter. USB and FireWire are electrically and protocol incompatible.
Seagate does make an accessory unit called the STAE 123 that works with the following drives to provide a FW800 interface:
Backup Plus Desktop Drive for Mac V1
Backup Plus Desktop Drive V1
GoFlex Desk for Mac drive with Thunderbolt
If your drive is one of those models, the STAE123 may be the answer to your needs.

Power firewire 400 to usb 2.0 adapter

Hello. With a 2nd generation iPod with Firewire 400 cable. Is it possible with an adapter to connect to a new USB 2.0 cable and have ipod recognized? Specifically for Automobile stereo with cable that works fine on ipods and iphones that use this cable for connectivity.

There is no practical way to convert from Firewire data to USB data.
Is yours the one that still had the old Firewire connector on the bottom or is it a slightly later one with the Dock Connector on the bottom?
How to ID your iPod...
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1353
P.

USB to Firewire Adapter

I'm considering a MacBook Air. I have two Firewire backup hard drives and a original iPod that also uses Firewire. Is there a simple USB to Firewire adapter to enable use of these items from a MBA?

Click here and read the whole thread.
(43606)

Is there a thunderbolt to firewire adapter?

Hi,
First of all, I know there is an apple-thunderbolt-to-firewire-adapter but i'm looking for the opposite adapter.
I have a 2010 imac and I'm about to buy a MBP but the problem I see is that my imac has firewire 800 and usb 2.0 ports, whereas the new MBP have thunderbolt and usb 3.0 ports. I need a new external hard drive to work with for editing with Final Cut, but most of them have thunderbolt or usb 3.0.
- If I buy a hard drive with hunderbolt or usb 3.0 I can use it with the new MBP but not with my iMac, well yes but with usb 2.0 that is horrible to work with.
- If I buy a hard drive with firewire, which are being excluded of the market (I've made a research and for example at Western Digital website they don't offer any HD with firewire at all) I should buy the new adapter firewire to thunderbolt from apple to use it with a MBP.
The question is simple, as I see external hard drives with FireWire are being removed, and my 2010 iMac still works perfectly... do you know if there's going to be an adapter thunderbolt to FireWire that could connect a thunderbolt-external hard drive to my iMac's FireWire port??
Thanks!!

Have a look at theses drives, I understand you buy the drive with USB 3 and can then purchase a Thunderbolt adapter and a FireWire adapter. I think the drive plugs into the base unit in the photo which is the adapter. You could have the Firewire plugged into the old Mac and the Thunderbolt in the new one. Just swop the drive between computers.
I don't know what speeds the drive spins at, if it is 5400 it may be too slow for you, but that is something you can decide.
http://www.seagate.com/gb/en/external-hard-drives/desktop-hard-drives/backup-plu s-desk/#specs

No internet with Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter

I bought a Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter, and i used it to connect a Iomega drive I previously used as USB.
When running OSX, no problem.
But when i boot the computer under Windows 7 (not SP1), if the adapter is connected, then the computer says that there aren't connections avalaible. If i boot without the adapter, everything worls fine and i can connect to my WiFi connection. (I don't have an Ethernet cable plugged, so i can't says if the Ethernet connection doesn't work too)
Any suggestion? Has someone experienced this?
Many thanks in advance!

Of course. You can connect both iMacs with a FireWire 800 cable and a Thunderbolt to FireWire adapter without any problem. The problem would come if the old iMac has not got FireWire 800 ports, but the Mid 2007 iMac comes with one.
In order to use Migration Assistant and transfer files from another iMac through FireWire, you need to put your old iMac in Target Disk mode as you said. To do this, simply hold the T key while your old iMac is starting up until you see the FireWire icon in the display. Then you can set up your new iMac, and you will be asked to transfer your data.
If you have already set up your new iMac, use Migration Assistant (in /Applications/Utilities) > http://pondini.org/OSX/MigrateLion.html

Does the Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter work w/ W540?

I have an external storage drive that relies on Firewire 800, or USB 2.0 - I'd prefer to use the Firewire! I discovered the Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter ( http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Thunderbolt-to-FireWire-Adapter/dp/B008RXYOKY ), but I haven't seen any clones for sale... Does anyone know if it will work with the W540 and Windows 7?

Hi DIgitalsmear
I bought one of this adapters to connect my firewire audio interface to my lenovo carbon X1 which has a thunderbolt out. And atm i have no proper connection going on, but i'm not yet sure whether it is because of the adapter or something else.
greetings
Milan

About the Thunderbolt to FireWire adapter

I have a question about the Thunderbolt to FireWire 800 adapter. I want to use this adapter so I can attach two FireWire devices, because I don't want to daisy chain (I need as much speed as possible, so not two devices on one port).
But suddenly I wondered: will I get full FireWire speed on both ports? Or is there some kind of controller on the mainboard that will bottleneck because the MacBook Pro only ships with one port or something like that? So basically my question is, will the two ports share bandwidth (just like when you daisy chain on one port) or will you really get two FireWire ports which you can use both at their "full" bandwidth?

I have pretty much the same need as you and purchased a HP laptop with Thunderbolt port and Windows 8. I also picked up the Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter. I have been unable to get Windows to detect the Firewire side of the adapter. Windows 8 seems to pick up the Thunderbolt controller correctly and shows it as an extension of the PCI express bus.
I have found no set of drivers that I can add that will get the Firewire side to be recognized by Win8. Win 8 should have 1394b drivers native, so I don't know what the problem is. I wish I could get this to work, because I just don't have the option of getting a MacBook for the things I need to do.
Right now the only other Thunderbolt to Firewire option on the horizon seems to be the Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock, but that has 2 problems.... 1, it is still in pre-order and 2, it is ~$300.
Mike

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

PCMCIA firewire adapter not working ....

with my LACie 40GB USB/Firewire mobile hard drive..
I previously posted that my TiBook 550 firewire port & the Lacie firewire
port are fried. I was hinted that the Tibook firewire port may have been
the culprit but not certain.
I bought a 3rd party PCMCIA firewire adapter IEEE 1394A
Here's the issue it works with a new firewire 3.5"drive enclosure which has
it's own power supply.
With the LAcie it runs off the power from the TiBook when I use the USB
port.
Is there a specific PCMCIA fire wire adapter I need to run the firewire bus
power of the LAcie drive?
I'm at a lost and REALLY behind in backing up data because of this.
Need help thanks ~A~

Thank you for clarifying this to me.
I went to the Apple store today, and not much was told except to buy
a new logic board!
My new 2.5" firewire enclosure does have a power supply port.
So looks like that seems to be my answer for now.
It does seem odd to have a power suppy for something portable, but
I guess when you blow firewire ports and need to go through a PCMCIA
adapter that's my best option.
The one thing I am curious about is that the LAcie firewire port & Tibook firewire port though the harddrive isn't mounting on my desktop still brings power to the drive.
Do you think on the "off the wall" chance that by adding a external power supply to the "injured" LAcie drive that it may allow my Tibook to mount
on the desktop?
A strange inquiry but worth a shot!
What do you think? ~A~
To add to Hardy's advice: Some pocket-sized FW drives
come with their own AC adapters. Others can use such
an adapter, but it's an optional accessory. Others
have no provision for connecting an external power
adapter to them, and must draw their power from the
FireWire bus. They can't do that when the FireWire
bus is on a PC card, unless the PC card adapter
itself came with a short auxiliary cord to connect it
to one of the host computer's USB or FireWire ports.
That cord is provided to draw power from one of those
ports for any bus-powered devices that are connected
through the PC Card adapter.
Therefore, you will need to do one of several things,
listed roughly in order of preference:
1. Use the AC adapter that came with your pocket
FireWire drive, if one did;
2. Buy such an adapter, if you didn't get one with it
but it can use one;
3. Use the auxiliary power cord that came with your
PC Card FireWire adapter, if one did;
4. Buy a different FireWire enclosure for your pocket
hard drive that allows the use of external power, and
comes with its own AC adapter.
5. Buy another PC card adapter that comes with an
auxiliary power cord.
#4 is preferable to #5 because it's certain to work,
not because it's necessarily less expensive.
Note that some portable hard drives need more power
than the USB or FireWire bus in a Powerbook can
supply. It sounds ridiculous — why make a portable
drive that requires you to carry an AC adapter with
it? — but it's true. This is why #5 above may not
work: even with an auxiliary power cord in use, your
drive may overdraw the power budget of the port to
which the cord is connected, and you'll be right back
where you are now.
PowerBook G4 Titanium 550Mhz Mac OS X (10.3.9) airport express, Safari, 512 MB
PowerBook G4 Titanium 550Mhz Mac OS X (10.3.9) airport express, Safari, 512 MB

2/3 Generation w/Fire Wire adapter - Need USB

I'm planning on giving away my older ipod to a relative who does not have a firewire connection to the computer; This older ipod used a mac connection into a firewire adapter (that I used on a laptop); is there such a thing for a USB (a USB adapter for this older ipod) that will transfer data for the old ipod?
Thanks!!

Thanks! The connection is at the base of the ipod; sounds like I should just be able to essentially replace the firewire adapter for one that is a USB adapter/connector?
Your designation isn't clear. Where do you connect
the cable to the iPod - at the top next to the earbud
jack or at the bottom. If you connect it at the
bottom you can buy a USB connector, if at the top the
iPod can only be connected via firewire.

Charging iPod touch with old AC-Firewire adapter?

Hello,
I just recently bought an iPod touch, and wanted to know if it will work to charge it with the AC-Firewire adapter from my 2nd gen iPod. I also have the car charger for the 2nd gen. There are posts about doing it with an AC-usb adapter, but I didn't find anything about Firewire.
If no one knows, will it hurt to try it? I just don't want to screw up my new one. Thanks for the help.

Charging the iPod touch with FireWire is not possible.
Plugging it in won't hurt it but it will pop up a message saying that it will not charge.

Apple no longer making thunderbolt to firewire adapter!

I just visited an apple store today to be told that Apple are no longer making the thunderbolt to firewire adapter which was meant to be released this month (July). Calling Apple customer support also confirmed this. It is also no longer mentioned as a option, when ordering a new MBP retina on the Apple online store.
As I've just purchased a new MBP retina for portable video editing, the prospect of not being able to plug in all my legacy firewire drives to the MBP is very frustrating, and I'm sure many people are in the same situation. Trying to daisy chain via a USB 3 LaCie drive to firewire did not work when tested and it's likely that any other solutions via hubs etc, will probably require mains power. For ediitng on the road via bus powered drives, firewire is suddenly not an option at present.
Many of us have gone through these transitions before as Apple pushes new and better technology forward at the expence of backwards compatibility. Thunderbolt will be great, but curently it is expensive and not widely adopted, where as firewire drives are considerbaly cheaper than thunderbolt drives and many of us have a large number of these drives being used on a daily basis.
I'm sure other manufactures will be scrabling to bring a thunderbolt to firewire adapter to the market, however the fact that Apple has stopped making it before it was even released is alarming.

Styphin wrote:
And yet, FireWire became an industry standard. Your argument is invalid.
Key word highlighted (in comparison to "has become"). As Shootist points out, it is harder and harder to find any kind of FW device out there. Hence my soon to be orphaned 11 external HDDs, 2 of which only have FW and probably be unusable when I have to replace my current Mac. The rest fortunately have USB2 too and will have to function in a slow speed crippled mode when the time comes.
Even Apple is hedging its bets, else why add two USB3 ports and the HDMI in addition to the purportedly wonderful TB?

Firewire adapter to USB, correct one

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