Firewire port hub??

I would like to use an external drive as my scratch disc. My Powerbook has only the one firewire port. The person at the Apple Store suggested that I could connect both my video camera and the external hard drive (both of which use firewire cables) using a 6-port hub. Is this likely to work? Thanks.

Perhaps I'm getting closer...I hooked up my LaCie drive and Canon ZR900 camera to my Powerbook using a firewire hub. I reset the scratch disk (improperly???) for the LaCie. Files seemed to capture fine, I rendered all, but when I played back from the time line, there was no sound. When I hooked up the camera directly to the laptop and reset the scratch disk back to the internal HD, everything worked fine. Am I setting up the scratch disk improperly? Thanks.

Similar Messages

800 FIREWIRE PORT HUB

I need a hub that I can use to connect both my video camera & my external hard drive at the same time, so I can save my raw video directly to my
external hard drive from iMovie on my new 27" iMac. I have a cable that fits the 800 port for my Canon GL1 camcorder. Can someone suggest
a hub I can purchase that will accommodate two FireWire connectors and fit my computer port or/and do I need some adapter also?
I am still learning the lingo so I hope I asked this correctly.
Thank you for your help.

Asnowbird -
   Firewire 800 hubs/repeaters are fairly rare. My recent searching found 4 sources (alphabetically):
Kramer Tools - has models with 2, 3, 4, and 8 ports. http://www.KramerElectronics.com.
NitroAV - has an 8 port hub/repeater.   http://www.NitroAV.com
Sonnet - Has an adapter (Ying Yang) that alllows both FW 400 & FW 800 to be pluged into new Macs with FW 800 (3 ports)   http://www.sonnettech.com
Unibrain - Has 3, 4 and 5 port models, with and without AC power. http://www.unibrain.com
Other sites for retail purchase are http://www.EverythingHerePlus.com, http://www.NetworkTechinc.com/hub-1394.html, and http://Synchrotech.com
I hope this helps. Randy

Dual Displays, not enough firewire ports?!

My MacPro isn't here yet...and I only have 1 cinema display right now but plan on adding a 2nd one in a few months.
In my anticipation for the Mac to be dropped of by FedEx, I noticed something while reviewing the specs...
My video card, the ATI Radeon X1900, has two DVI ports (so I can do two 23" or whatnot). If I use the my 23" Cinema Display, I can plug in the USB, the Firewire & the DVI connector.
However!! If I get a 2nd 23" Cinema Display, there's room for another DVI port and USB but NO firewire port. There's only ONE 400 FW port on the back of this machine?!?!
What do you all do if you're dual displaying it w/ Apple displays??

Well, the Firewire cable/port in the monitor is only there as a hub/extender, it doesn't affect the working of the monitor itself. So you can always attach the cable from the second monitor into the Firewire port of the first monitor. It depends how many other Firewire devices you need to add.
Matt

USB/FireWire Ports Issue

So before I go into the apple store and ask for this computer to be repaired/replaced, I would like to see if anyone knows if something can be done about this issue I have pinpointed..
Basically when I have more than a few USB/FireWire ports connected, one or more of the devices does not function properly. This has happened with two external hard drives - which should have no problem being connected simultaneously.. When I try to eject one of them, I receive a message stating that it cannot be ejected because one or more programs may be using it.. although all programs are closed, causing me to have to force eject..
Also, I plug in one drive and open the other in finder to back it up, and all of the folders in the drive are suddenly empty.. nothing inside. I go to Get Info.. Zero KB.. I try ejecting, but receive the same message, so I force eject, plug it back in, and wala, all the files are back in the right place..
This has also happened in the past when my cinema display and a printer were plugged in simultaneously.. the computer won't detect the USB of the cinema display -- which only means that the speakers of the display won't work + no brightness control from the keyboard.. so i let it slide.. but now with this external hard drive issue, i need to solve the problem..
Thank you for reading..

Same here. Since a few weeks, my MacPro ejects USB HDD's as soon as I write or read data on it.
(no I haven't installed something new at this time and all HUB's and HDD's have their own power supply, and yes they have been exchanged, so its not a broken cable or so !!!!!!!!)
After a reset of the NVRAM and PRAM its better for an hour or so, then starts to eject again. I've seen a lot of communities with exact the same question, but never a solution for it. There is also nothing in the support tab of apple.
Hope someone here can help me out or due to the fact that this is a AplleSupportCommunity, a Apple-Employee may starts to do his job and help this huge amount (I guess there are hundrets or tousand) of mac-user with exact the same problem....
btw: don't agree with MACATTACK2010 that this is a hardware problem, cause there are a lot of people in the
net that ask the same question with brandnew Hardware. I think it's an OS or an Update Bug, or may both.

Connect 2 external drives to 1 firewire port?

MacBook Pro 5 4 Mid-2009 15"
has 1 firewire port
1 USB 2.0 port with 2 more USB 2.0 ports on an external monitor
I've been running Time Machine on a 500 GB LaCie d2 quadra external drive and need to upgrade, probably to a 3 TB drive.
To transfer my backups from the old drive to the new one, I need to connect both to the MacBook. Can I connect both in a daisy chain to the FireWire port? Or do I have to connect one via USB and the other via FireWire?
Thanks.

You can either use a FireWire hub or connect one device through USB. If either drive has two or more FireWire ports, it can act as a hub.
(121173)

Firewire Port out to lunch! Formac Studio goes with it! Help!

There was a nasty thunderstorm last night in my area. My computer was off the entire time, but upon restarting hours later, I found both my firewire ports out. This morning, one of them came back to life- but when I plugged my Formac studio into it- it no longer is recognized. I tried a few different attempts to get the other port back into action- but no luck. Anyone with suggestions? Anyone have a similar problem with Formac Studio going dead (I did email Formac as well)
Thanks, Matt

I was having problems with my Formac, iSigh and 8 FW drives.
G5 2x Gighertz, 4gig RAM, two internal drives and the above.
Everything would work until I put the computer to sleep, upon wake-up, neither the isight or the formac would produce an image. Both were just black screens. I would have to unmount the drives, disconnect and reconnect all firewire to make them work again.
I have two firewire hubs, one connecting the isigh and the formac (connected to the FW 400 port) and the other to the 8 drives (connected to the FW 800 port).
After trying just about every combination between the iSight and the Formac, I used a different cable than the original cable with two magnets which the Formac uses and connected it to the Hub with the 8 FW drives. This got me to the point where all I had to do was reset the Formac and both the Formac and iSight would work without disconnecting and reconnecting all the FW devises.
But it also got me thinking what would happen if I used the Formac FW cable to connect the hub to the FW400 port. Maybe that cable would help stabilize the connection... Since it came with the Formac, maybe it would work better for video, right? Well, I connected the Formacs cable to the hub and to the FW400 port. The computer immediately shutdown! After that, neither the 400 nor the 800 ports work. The hub smelled like burned circutry and 3 of the 8 drives have damage to the file structure.
Needless to say I am fumming! What the **** is this cable from Formac? Why does it have what appears to be two magnets? and why would they sell this cable that has the potential to damage an entire system costing thousands of $$s?
I'm doing a file recovery now, but don't have my hopes high on that...
If this cable caused all this, Formac should be put out of business!

Connect USB device to Firewire port

Can I connect a keyboard, expansion CD, or other USB-cabled device to a Firewire port on the iMAC? What brand of USB-Female to Firewire-Male is recommended?

As mentioned, far to different ofvoltages & signals for it to work... thoigh I've seen suh impossible devices for sale out of China.
I think what you want is a good USB hub...
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/USB2HB7PRO/

Firewire 800 hub not working

After two years without incident, all my drives (5) stoped mounting on my 17" Macbook Pro (running Lion). They are connected though a hub -- NitroAV 8 port Firewire 800 hub. I have changed the cable -- no effect. I have tried connecting the drives individually to the port -- they all come up immediately. So I am concluding that it must be the hub itself. Right? But is it usual that such a hub just stops working? What can be wrong, and can it be repaired? Or is it better to just buy another (expensive) one? Thanks for any ideas! Norris

Hi Todd DeNoyer-
Tom offers excellent advice. The only way to narrow this down is one drive at a time.
Are you using a FW800 hub or do you only have one drive?
Some LaCie drives in particular have power supply bricks that can malfunction and give absolutely no clue-the light comes on and the drive spins up. When this happens, the drive with the bad brick will try and draw current from the bus and wreak all kinds of havoc.
Luck-
-DaddyPaycheck

Older ACD USB/Firewire ports and a Thunderbolt MBA.

I have an older Apple Cinema Display (20) and a Thunderbolt MBA. Can I use the Firewire ports on the ACD if I use a Thunderbolt to DVI adapter?
Specifically, I have an older iSight external camera (Firewire based) that I would like to use with the ACD whilst the MBA is in clamshell mode. With the Firewire ports on the ACD, I'm intrigued by how I might access them with the MBA.
Is this possible?
TIA,
eznet

Same here. Since a few weeks, my MacPro ejects USB HDD's as soon as I write or read data on it.
(no I haven't installed something new at this time and all HUB's and HDD's have their own power supply, and yes they have been exchanged, so its not a broken cable or so !!!!!!!!)
After a reset of the NVRAM and PRAM its better for an hour or so, then starts to eject again. I've seen a lot of communities with exact the same question, but never a solution for it. There is also nothing in the support tab of apple.
Hope someone here can help me out or due to the fact that this is a AplleSupportCommunity, a Apple-Employee may starts to do his job and help this huge amount (I guess there are hundrets or tousand) of mac-user with exact the same problem....
btw: don't agree with MACATTACK2010 that this is a hardware problem, cause there are a lot of people in the
net that ask the same question with brandnew Hardware. I think it's an OS or an Update Bug, or may both.

Are the USB/Firewire ports powered?

I have an external hard drive that is powered by the USB of my powerbook- and I noticed that the 20" display features usb and firewire ports.
Are they self powered? (the spare ports on the apple keyboard are not- i.e. yu can't charge ipod from them)
Any advice is appreciated
Thank you

The official specifications say:
<< Two-port, self-powered USB 2.0 hub, two FireWire 400 ports and Kensington security port >>
So the USB hub should be self-powered. However, from my experience, connecting the iPod (or any other bus-powered USB device) to the display doesnot work as expected.
Maybe it's because I have all four ports (USB and FW400) occupied, and one of the FW devices is also bus-powered.

IRONY: 2 Apple Displays & 1 Firewire Port

I find oddly unsettling that my brand new setup (3.2 Mac Pro + 2x 23" Cinema's) has an obvious flaw. Two Displays means I have two USB / FW hubs built in, yet when I run the cables across my desk and down to the Mac Pro, I can plug in the 2 DVI and 2 USB cables, but one of the FireWire cables is left to dangle since there is only 1 FireWire 400 port on the back. To make matters worse, the cable isn't long enough stretch around front (not that I would want to).
Design flaw? Logistic over sight? Laziness? I sure won't return the thing, but wow this seems odd.

Well, actually there are two ways to look at it, none maybe from my angle. There is only ONE bus and you are just splitting (hairs) to daisy-chain devices. At least the 2008 is now linked to a new PCI Express bridge inside so FW800 is better, but all FireWire ports are running on one bus/channel.
Add a PCI Express card, and that may have multiple ports, but only one (extra) bus.
Then you have problems if you end up mixing drives and consumer electronics on the same bus. And, to make matters worse, there are some problems users experience with the built-in USB hub(s) in the ACD, keyboard, etc.
You don't say what you need to attach, whether a powered hub or 2nd controller would help, or whether best served with SATA drive controller.

Why are the two firewire ports on the back of my iMac diffferent?

I currently have an external hard drive plugged in to one firewire port. But I noticed that I cannot fit my iPod connector into the other firewire port.
Why?
Intel-Based iMac 24" Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Look at this article iMac (Late 2006): External Ports and Connectors and go down to:
"Two FireWire Ports"
The iMac (24-inch) has one FireWire 400 port, and one FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394b) port, which supports transfer rates of 100, 200, 400, and 800 Mbps as a theoretical maximum load; actual rates may vary.
If your External HD has a second firewire port on it, connect the firewire iPod there. If not I would pick-up a firewire hub to prevent having to plug and unplug cords.
Dennis
17" iMac Intel Core Duo - 1.5GB Ram - Mac OS X (10.4.10) - Maxtor 300GB FireWire - Creative Inspire 2.1 - 2G Nano

Is there such a thing as a Firewire 800 Hub (like a USB hub)?

I'd like to have a firewire port "at the front" of a Mini, for easy attaching of a Camcorder-firewire line or other occasional-use Firewire devices. The one FW800 port at the back of the Mini has external hard-drive(s) attached.
Ideally, I'd like a hub that splits this FW800 into FW800 and FW400 jacks (2 of each)! But I've never seen such a hub, and am not getting clear answers from hardware vendors. USB hubs are easy to find, but Firewire?___
Message was edited by: F. Farmer

Google "Firewire hub 800" and several come up;
http://www.lindy.co.uk/3-port-firewire-800-repeater-hub/32911.html
Although I see that they all claim to be out of stock or on order. Hmmm, I see what you mean....

Firewire Ports burn out on 20" ACD

I have a 20" ACD and this now marks the second time in about a month that my firewire ports have just decided they didn't want to work anymore. Just three weeks after I got the monitor back from repair in it goes again, and Apple just to add insult to injury didn't send me a shipping label! I sure hope DHL has forms with them tomorrow...
Has anyone else had problems with their firewire ports on an ACD? The only firewire devices I have are a Griffin FireWave and a Canon Camcorder.

Ok I have to post the follow up story to this because it has a happy ending!
As stated in my earlier post the Firewire ports on the monitor had failed and I got a box from Apple w/o a shipping label. I called and they gave me all the info I needed and I was crossing my fingers that the DHL guy would have the paperwork...
The next day the DHL guy arrives .... WITH ANOTHER SHIPPING BOX!?!? Apple had sent out a new one with the correct shipping label so I just grabbed it and slapped it onto the other box and handed it back to the DHL guy, now I have a nice cinema display shipping box.
Apple repairs my monitor and I get it back in 2 days. Great turnaround except that when I get home I connect the display to the computer connect up my firewire devices and ... the firewire ports on the display are STILL broken! ARGH!
Now this is the THIRD time my ports have gone south on my display and I am really ****** off. Now here is why I think Apple is a top notch company that tries to make things right for their customers, I call Apple the next day and talk to tech support. They get an expert on the phone and the guy who apparently repaired my monitor the last time and they were positive the monitor left with working firewire. So they ask me what I was trying to use with it and I told them (A Griffin FireWave and a DV Camera) and they said that those were all good quality products and shouldn't be causing an issue with the display. So they sent me a BRAND NEW display! Now here's the cool part, I've had my display for less than 6 months but it was a refurbished unit. This new one isn't, it's brand new and so bright it almost hurts my eyes to look at it. The tech at Apple also suggested I buy a powered firewire hub (which I did) just in case the firewave or the camera was causing the ports to die.
Now would Dell, HP, or Gateway have replaced my monitor like that without a fight? Not likely, they would have insisted that one of my devices was burning out their display. They certainly wouldn't have replaced it with a whole new monitor like Apple did. Granted I did have AppleCare on the display but even without it I think Apple's support is (for the most part) better than ANYONE else out there period.

FireWire, USB hub

I'm looking for some advice on a self-powered hub to connect an Epson Stylus Photo 2200 printer, an Epson 3200 photo scanner, a Nikon CoolScan IV film scanner, and a LaCie 120GB external drive. The Epson devices have both ports, while the Nikon and LaCie are Firewire only. USB connection is not critical, but it would be nice to have. The hub, of course, will be connected to the PowerBook.
I've searched this forum, but have not found any postings about a firewire or firewire/USB hub.

Braby -
My experience with hubs has been limited to ethernet and USB hubs. Most have their own power supply, but I once had a USB hub that didn't, and I found it limited what devices would work with it. Since I've never used a Firewire hub before, I did not know whether there were powered or un-powered varieties, so I was just playing it safe.
I've found a number of Firewire hubs through Google and I have checked Amazon.com. Both sources have provided some information, which have been helpful, but not definitive. I was hoping to find an Apple user or two who have tried doing what I am wishing to do, and thereby benefit from their experience.
I'll probably try a Belkin, Buslink or Macally hub from someplace like CompUSA, so that if it doesn't work well I can at least take it back.
Thanks for you input.

Firewire port hub??

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for