Not enough FireWire Power?

Hello,
on my new MPP17 C2D I noticed a dramatic change in the behaviourof the FireWire ports. It seems that less power is provided over both FireWire ports than on other/older MacBooks.
Example: I have an external WiebeTech FireWire hard drive that works without an external power supply on all older PowerBooks and even on my MacBook CD. It does not work on my brand new MBP17 C2D. It tries to power up the hard drive for 1 second or so, then stops, then tries again etc.
Is ist true that the FireWire specs on the MBP17 C2D have changed, or is someting wrong wit my MacBook?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Leo
MBP17 C2D Mac OS X (10.4.8) 3GB/200GB

Howdy!
I'm looking at the same possible problem. I have not purchased a bus powered external hard drive, yet. I have MBP 17 core duo, not the new core 2 duo.
I've looked at http://www.wiebetech.com/products/ComboGB.php
AC adapter optional
Most FireWire and USB ports provide enough juice to power ComboGB, so most users prefer to use ComboGB without an AC adapter for maximum portability. For users who prefer an AC adapter or who must use one with their computer, an AC adapter is available separately.
You will need an AC adapter (or use the included USB power cable) if the port you are plugging into does not provide enough power for ComboGB. This includes all 4 pin FireWire hosts (such as Sony iLink which provides no power at all) and some USB ports.
In most situations, the provided USB power cable can power the drive and pass data at the same time. Alternately, the USB power cable can be used for power only so you may use the USB cable for power and still use a FireWire cable for data.
For yet another configuration option, WiebeTech's Cable-32 is a smaller USB power cable (with no USB pass through) and is an optional power cable for ComboGB.
This setup, with USB power and Firewire data transfer, is interesting. But my research has not 100% comfirmed this option. However, it seems that the external hard drive needs to be a Hitachi drive.
http://www.barefeats.com/mbcd7.html
ALTERNATE STORAGE EXPANSION OPTIONS
If you want to further expand storage on your MacBook Pro, a cool way to do it is with a bus powered FireWire 800 enclosure with a SATA notebook drive inside. (If you go pure SATA enclosure or use the USB 2 port, you'll have to have an AC adapter.) Check with Wiebetech, TransIntl, and OWC for bus powered FW800 notebook enclosures that accept SATA notebook drives.
I wanted to bring this to your attention and I look forward to your comments.
Mark
mbp 17 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Similar Messages

I'm using Logic 9 with a Macbook Pro. On one project I'm getting a message ' not enough processor power.' I've tried freezing all tracks but this seems to have no effect. I've also bounced all soft synths to audio.

I'm using Logic 9 with a Macbook Pro. On one project I'm getting a message 'not enough processor power' and the computer stops playing
I've tried freezing all tracks but this has no effect. I've also bounced all soft synth tracks to audio, but to no avail. The computer stops playing
even at the start of the track where there is nothing but a kick drum happening.......

Thank you for the suggestions.
I had previously tried all of the above but the airport/wireless thought. Unfortuneately, none of these things made a difference, including the wireless suggestion.
Currently, I am using my Mac's "cheapo" internal audio hardware (haha). I have a one year old 27-inch iMac, a good pair of bose speakers, and a polk sub. I don't believe it is an issue with my setup, considering I completely disconnected and unplugged it.
I did, however, do a little info hunting on the internal audio situation, since I was curious what is actually included, and I stumbled upon this interesting little tidbit about my model of iMac:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2718054?start=0&tstart=0
I had previously wondered if I was hearing my mouse in my speakers as well (not just in logic). It appears that this model of iMac may have some grounding issues, as someone later in the thread suggested purchasing and using a ground loop isolator, which seemed to fix any extra interference for them.
Ironically though, I have since opened logic, and do not seem to be encountering my previous static issue(yet).
Fingers crossed, hoping that I will not be experiencing it again. Going to purchase a ground loop isolator, and continue to mess around with logic, just to make sure it was not just an internal audio issue with my iMac.

Portable external hardrive; not enough USB POWER

so i bought a toshiba 320gb portable external hardrive, only to read the small print on arrival stating that 'rarely' there may not be enough usb power to power the hardrive, on some computers. of course that means my g4 powerbook. i know i am supposed to use a mini y usb cable...which i bought, however the stupid thing is not long enough to reach my 2nd usb port on the other side of the laptop...rendering it useless.
i am wondering whether a usb to firewire conversion cable will provide adequate power (as everything i read tells me how superior firewire is, power wise) or should i get an extension cable for my y cable....
the whole point of this hardrive is to be portable, yet with all these cables...
or if anyone knows where i can buy a y cable that will actually reach around the laptop??

You could buy a powered USB hub, which will supply enough power, however, since it's plug-in powered it's not extremely portable. I don't know if you can return the Toshiba drive and buy one that runs off Firewire? Another benefit of Firewire is that you can boot off the drive if you need to, which you cannot do with a USB-connected external hard drive. In terms of the dual USB cable, I believe Western Digital sells one that works, or look online at most any store selling computing cables.

Not enough processing power?

I got this tablet for the purpose of my kids being able to play abcmouse.com...but when I try to login to that account on my new ellipsis 7, the website says this device does not have enough processing power to use the website. Can I get something done to the tablet so that it has the ability to access abcmouse.com?

Thanks. My girls also use zoodles and love it! I went to the verizon store and by exploring, the guy found a settings button that we have to click to work on the desktop because it thinks it was on a mobile phone, not a tablet. So I'm happy to say it works as of today! Yay!
Tiffany
>> Personal information removed to comply with the Verizon Wireless Terms of Service <<
Edited by: Verizon Moderator

WD External Hard Drive - Not Enough USB Power?

Hello, I have a Western Digital External Hard Drive that I've had for about 5 years. It plugs in/loads through the USB port. However, it hasn't worked when I plug it in to my MAC anymore. The red light comes on like it is getting power, but the blue light that typically comes on as well blinks a few times, then you hear the external hard drive shutting back down. Needless to say, it isn't loading anymore, and I can't access my files on the drive. I'm thinking/hoping that maybe (for some odd reason) it isn't getting enough power through my MAC's USB port anymore. Is this possible? If so, what can I do to solve this problem. Thanks for any help!

Depends on whether the drive's motor is functional and the drive can be mounted. In that case you could use recovery software if the drive isn't otherwise accessible. If it's dead and inaccessible then you would need to send it to an expensive data recovery service.
General File Recovery
If you stop using the drive it's possible to recover deleted files that have not been overwritten by using recovery software such as Data Rescue II, File Salvage or TechTool Pro. Each of the preceding come on bootable CDs to enable usage without risk of writing more data to the hard drive.
The longer the hard drive remains in use and data are written to it, the greater the risk your deleted files will be overwritten.
Also visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on Data Recovery.
You could consider getting a power supply for it. They usually aren't very expensive. Or you could try a different enclosure that supported Firewire (if your MB has a FW port.) You could also try it on a different computer.

Not enough processing power for LE8 in my MBP?

I'm running LE8 on my 2.16ghz Core 2 Duo Macbook Pro with 3GB of RAM. I record to an external Firewire 800 hard drive, 7200 rpm. I would think this setup would be more than adequate for running projects with 16 tracks of audio with maybe 1-3 plugins per track (but not alwaysthat much, usually less), and 1 or 2 softsynth tracks. During playback and overdubbing LE8 commonly stops and the popup tells me that it could not process the required data in time. It seems to happen randomly, but more often than not it's during the pass through of the session, usually when a lot of tracks start playing at once. For example, a guitar intro with a couple of tracks of guitar that leads to the rest of the band kicking in, jumping to 16 tracks of audio. Kills it every time. I can't imagine that my band came up with the concept of dynamic song arrangements...
The CPU meters in LE8 are not maxed out, if those meters are even accurate, they show about halfway for both cores, give or take.
What gives?

Hi,
I don't know enough about balanced vs unbalanced issues to comment but I will tell you that I'm only running with 2 GB ram (1 + 1), running lots of plugins and software instruments and I am not encountering these problems. Since I've never heard of anyone having problems with odd numbered or unbalanced ram, I'm wondering if there may be faulty ram at play here. From the way Dreams described his/her current project I can't see this maxing out 2 Gb ram let alone 3. But if the system was only addressing 1 Gb ram... Maybe. The only other thing I can suggest is making sure your not leaving other unnessessary apps running in the background. Could just be another bug. By the way I don't know whether or not you know this but clicking on the little CPU meter on the transport bar brings up a much bigger meter.

Not enough CPU power

Lately, my Mac has randomly been crashing. So, the first solution I tried so far, is to replace the RAM. So, I had upgraded to 16GB instead of the default 4GB, but if I still run an application (mainly videos, or a game), the CPU being consumed by the user will go up to 50% I'm not exactly sure if this normal. I had opened all the applications in the Adobe Master Collection CS5, and the CPU being consumed by the user went up to around 40%-55% and I thought this was fair, but watching a 420p video on YouTube (I'm using Google Chrome) goes ridiculously high just for a 420 pixel video, it takes up 40% to 60%
If this is normal, even with 16GB of RAM installed, how can I increase my CPU power? Also, if I keep my CPU usage under 90% then my Mac doesn't crash.

The only way to get a more powerful CPU is to sell your computer and buy a faster one. CPU power is not related to how much RAM is installed.
If what you described is correct then you might start with:
Open Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder. Select All Processes from the Processes dropdown menu. Click twice on the CPU% column header to display in descending order. If you find a process using a large amount of CPU time, then select the process and click on the Quit icon in the toolbar. Click on the Force Quit button to kill the process. See if that helps. Be sure to note the name of the runaway process so you can track down the cause of the problem.

Not Enough Mic Power/Product Ideas?

I'm currently using the Griffin iMic. It works well for vocals (when the mic is close to its source), but I can't get enough juice to pick up a jam session in a small room, with the mic a few feet away. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong, but I think I've covered all the bases.
I assume I need some sort of preamp. I'm looking at the Tascam US-122, found it at Guitar Center for $169. I like that it's also a midi interface. Will a product like this give me more power to the mic? What's the general consensus on this thing, reviews are mixed.
Thanks!

hope you're still willing to help!
No worries B-)>
Yes, I'm using an XLR to 1/8" adaptor (the
"Garageband Mic Cable" that Griffin sells as a
companion to iMic).
I've never been able to get a solid answer on that cable. I'd suggest writing to Griffin tech support and ask them a very simple and straight forward question: (use the actual name they call the cable) "Does the cable have a Low Impedance to High Impedance (Lo-Z->Hi-Z) matching transformer built in?"
If the low impedance is the
issue, then the transformer would help?
I believe so. I've done tests to demonstrate this, and without the transformer, the level was almost non-existent.
Is the 1/4" stereo to 1/8" adaptor a cable? (I'm such a newbie)
It's usually just a simple little thing with a plug on one end and a jack on the other side. There are also complete cable that would have different plugs on either end, but they'll be more expensive than a simple adaptor ($3-$5)
Thanks!
Welcome --HangTime [Will Compute for Food] B-)>

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

Thunderbolt to Firewire 800 adapter not enough power

Warning to those who own G-Technology G-Raid Mini (Gen3) and a Macbook Pro Retina.
I just received my thunderbolt to firewire 800 adapter from apple yesterday. I hooked it up to the rMBP and plugged in my G-Raid Mini, the G-Raid Mini powers up, but then proceeds to make a beeping noise. The G-Raid Mini will not mount over bus-power thunderbolt to firewire 800 adapter. Although when I plug the G-Raid Mini into wall with power supply and then plug in the thunderbolt to firewire 800 adapter, the drive mounts.
It seems there is not enough thunderbolt bus power to mount a G-Raid Mini (Gen3)...
Has anyone heard otherwise? Can they confirm this doesn't work for them either.
Thanks.

Same for me.
Luckily I tested it is advance of playing a gig at the weekend using Serato.
Complete JOKE!
I can't believe that Apple hasn't considered the fact that the majority of creative professionals need high capacity fast mobile storage.
I suppose we now need to wait for 2Tb Thunderboth enabled SSD drives which by my reckoning will cost more than the MacBook Pro!!!!

Screen shows not enough storage and wont allow me to click close or settings. Power off doesnt work either., Screen shows not enough storage and wont allow me to click close or settings. Power off doesnt work either.

Ipad is stuck with the pop up of:
Not enough storeage. This ipad cannot be backedup because there is not enough iCloud storage available. You can manage your storage in settings. Gives the option to click on close or settings. Neither option I can click on nor can I power off.

That behavior occurs from time to time. If you fail to backup your iPad with iCloud on a regular basis you may also get a message to that effect and that message may also freeze your screen and prevent you from using the iPad. When that happens, you have to do the same thing that you just did, reset/reboot the iPad.
You can prevent the "you haven't backed up this iPad" message from popping up by backing up on a regular basis. The only way that you can prevent the other message from popping up is to purchase more storage.
What can you do to prevent those messages from "freezing up" the iPad, As far as I know - nothing at all. It seems to be some type of quirk in the settings that affects some users from time to time. Read the "More Like This" box on the right. There is no setting that you are missing.

I have a i phone 5 that we are getting a message not enough storage this Iphone cannot be backed up beacause there is not enough Icloud storage available. But we cannot go to settings or close out the message . i cannot power off the phone or anthing

i have a i phone 5 that we are getting a message not enough storage this Iphone cannot be backed up beacause there is not enough Icloud storage available. But we cannot go to settings or close out the message . i cannot power off the phone or anthing. How do i clear this off the phone.

First, press and hold the home and power buttons until the Apple icon appears.
The problem could be that you don't have enough storage on the device itself, not on iCloud. Go to Settings>General>Usage to see how much "Storage" you have available on the device. Farther down the list is the available storage on iCloud.
Also check:
Go to Settings>iCloud>Storage & Backups>Manage Storage; there, tap the device you need info on and the resulting screen lists Backup Options with which apps store data on iCloud as well. Tap Show All Apps to get the complete list of apps and MB used for backup storage.
A device needs many MB of storage in order to perform a backup to iCloud.
Also see: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4847`

When I plug in external hard drive to airport express it tells me not enough power for the usb port. I have the airport express plugged in to power

Airport express tells me not enough power to usb port for hard drive.
I do have power to Airport express plugged in.

The AirPort Express will not support a hard drive....only a printer.
If you need to connect a hard drive, you need an AirPort Extreme, not an AirPort Express.

Not enough physical memory is available to power on this virtual machine with its configured settings.

hi ... My opering system is windows 8.1 and my system RAM is 6 GB with intel core i3 processor...
I got error in vmvare " not enough physical memory to start virtual machine. then after some day i visit at your webside and read the bolg about this error solution and i uninstalled the microsofts update like
"KB2995388" then reboot the system, after that i search config.ini file in drive "C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Workstation" but i did'nt got this file, so i created a new "config.ini" file and write one line
vmmon.disableHostParameters = “TRUE” and save the file , then i copied this file to vmware workstation , like this path 'C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Workstation' after that i opened my vmware and power on virtula machine but still i getting same error like not enough physical memory..........plesae any one can help me ? and give me a better solution to solve this problem ?

Welcome to the Community,
without any details about the VMware Workstation version you are using and the blog you read it's pretty hard to help. Anyway, the issue you mentioned was resolved with VMware Workstation 10.0.4 (see VMware Workstation 10.0.4 Release Notes), so in case you are running an older version it may be worth updating.
André
Message was edited by: a.p. - Fixed typo in version number 10.0.4 (instead of 10.4)

HT4101 What if I connect the camera adaptor and it says there is not enough power to support it? (fully charged iPad)

What if when I connect the camera adaptor attachment and a message appears that there is not enough power? My iPad is fully charged and I was only downloading three pictures. ???

This might help ya out -> iPad: Using iPad Camera Connector with unsupported USB devices
If you encounter an issue trying to connect a digital camera through an unsupported USB device, try the following steps:
Disconnect the iPad Camera Connector from iPad.
Disconnect any USB device connected to the iPad Camera Connector.
Restart iPad.
Reconnect the iPad Camera Connector and then connect your digital camera directly to the iPad Camera Connector.
You may need to connect certain cameras, USB Audio, or MIDI devices to a powered USB hub for the iPad Camera Connector to detect them. Find more information on using the iPad Camera Connection Kit.
Note: If you encounter an issue using a USB audio or MIDI device, contact the manufacturer to confirm that the device is compatible with the iPad Camera Connector.
What type of camera do you have connected to the adapter?

Not enough FireWire Power?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for