Rear firewire 400 port

I'm having an issue getting any HD to be recognized by my G5. The front FW 400 port works fine, but I can't get the rear FW400 ports to recognize the unit.
It was working fine one moment and then stopped working the next.
I've tried the shutdown and power plug pull technique, resetting the SMU and PRAM but none of them worked. Saw other postings with similar problems but cannot find resolution.
PLEASE HELP! Thank you!!
PowerPC G5
Dual 2.5 Ghz
OS X 10.4.11

Hi irock creative-
Greetings and welcome to the Apple Discussion boards
Sometimes this just happens and requires service by Apple.
What you could do that's cheaper and even better a it gives you a separate FW bus is to add a compatible FireWire PCI card to your machine.
Luck-
-DaddyPaycheck

Similar Messages

*** Front and Rear Firewire 400 Ports Share Same Bus? ***

I am wondering if the front and rear Firewire 400 ports are just linked together on the same bus, or do they connect to the CPU on separate channels.
- thanks for any wisdom.
Ted.

You are assuming that the FireWire controller is capable of something I've never seen confirmed, that there is 240MB/sec. And there isn't. I've created RAIDs on multiple FW PCI cards. I've used ATTO SCSI adapters.
And one thing I know about the old G4 was there is a maximum of 240MB/sec for ALL PCI slots that gets shared, not for each PCI slot, though there are adapters like FirmTek's Serial ATA SeriTek controllers which tend to "hog" all the bandwidth and limits the performance of or number of other controllers.
PCI-X was suppose to get past that by providing two buses, one @ 100MHz and the other @ 133MHz that keep them from 'stealing' the others.
PCI Express is an improvement (PCIe 2.0 is beginning to show up) but rarely do buses perform as well as they are suppose to on paper.
That can mean front side bus, memory bus, as well. The G5 memory bus never lived up to its expectations or white paper potential. The Mac Pro seems to have its own memory bandwidth limitations.
And I am not trying to cover up anything. Shed a little light, if not sunshine. More from testing and having talked to developers rather than an engineering background.

How can a video editor use an NTSC studio monitor on the new iMac without a Firewire 400 port?

Looking at the new iMacs (hungrily) and wondering how I will be able to continue using my Sony DSR-11 and NTSC monitor in the absence of any Firewire 400 port. I suppose there may be cables that will allow me to use the Firewire 800 port and am thinking they may be difficult to locate.

No they're not - they're available from many sources; i.e. I bought a FW 400 > 800 cable when I bought my iMac last August (at an authorized local reseller). Just google Firewire 400 > 800 and you'll get plenty of results. You can also opt for an adapter if you prefer. Both are also available at the Apple store online.

FireWire 400 port to 800 Port?

Trying to migrate data from iBook PowerBook whic has FireWire 400 port to iMac which has FireWire 800 port. My existing FireWire cable does not fit the iMac port. There must be a solution.

Just get a FW800 to FW400 cable or adapter. They are fairly common. They give you a 9-pin to 6-pin change.
Here is an example of a cable...
http://www.pcmicrostore.com/PartDetail.aspx?q=p:10502638;c:100078
Here is an example of an adapter...
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/fw_adapter.html
With the adapter you just plug your normal FW400-to-FW400 cable into the back of it.
Cheers,
Patrick

Firewire 400 port: connector not staying seated

Hi!
I am using a firewire audio device, and when I use the firewire 400 port on my MBP, I constantly have to reseat the firewire cable, as the connector keeps sliding out at the slightest movement of the cable. I then have to relaunch the audio app, which is not fun to do several times every 15 minutes or so. OK, it isn't fun to have ot do even once...
I was using a USB audio device, and those ports are solid. Is the firewire 400 port this way for all 400 ports? Is it just my MacBook Pro? Are there cables that seem to "grab" the port better than others?
thx!

Hi!
Got a great cable... tried in my Mac Pro as well. If I grab the cable just before the connector going into the port, and wiggle up and down very lightly, it takes 2-4 wiggles and falls out of the MacBook Pro, but the Mac Pro is solid as a rock. I have 4 other firewire devices, and they are solid with this cable, as well as with 3 other cables I have tried (less expensive ones).
So, now I am wondering- before running to an Apple store to check- are the last generation MacBook and MacBook pro laptop firewire 400 ports different? And are they simply all going to give me this "wiggle wiggle fall out" behaviour"?

Noise through Speakers when using Firewire 400 port.

Can anyone explain to me why my G4 Powerbook would make squealing noises when I have anything plugged into the Firewire 400 port? It is driving my crazy!!

I'm afraid I can't help, except to say I have the same problem with my FW 400 and 800 ports when I connect a Firewire hard drive. The noise sounds like it's coming from inside the computer itself and it happens even with the audio muted. I wonder if this problem might be related to the Firewire "noise" / "chirp" issue I've seen discussed?
15" PowerBook G4 (1.67GHz) Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Connect FireWire 800 device to FireWire 400 port?

Hello all,
does anyone know whether it is possible to connect a firewire 800 device (e.g. external Hard Disk) to a firewire 400 port on a e.g. MacBook?
I know only that it works for sure via special fw cable the other way round – FireWire 400 device to FW 800 port.
Cheers,
Gillion

Hi Gillion!
Welcome to Apple Discussions.
My understanding is that with the appropriate cable you can connect a FireWire 800 to a FireWire 400 device and vice-versa.
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=4B8 F4B38&nplm=TP320LL/A
The machines will throttle the transfer speed down to an acceptable range for the slower (FW 400) device to communicate effectively.

Firewire 400 port??

Why don't the new MacBook Pro's have a firewire 400 port??

Because Apple didn't put one in it. If you need FireWire 400, you can use an adapter or you can put in an Express 34 card that adds FireWire 400.

Rear FireWire 800 port not working

After installing Leopard, I connected my TimeMachine external FW 800 drive to the rear FW 800 port, but it was not recognized. I also have an external drive connected to the rear FW 400 port, and it works normally. After some experimentation, I found that if I unplug the FW 400 drive, the FW 800 port becomes active allowing the TimeMachine drive to mount. But any time I use the rear FW 400 port, the rear FW 800 port doesn't work.
The front FW 800 port works normally, and I'm using it for TimeMachine. But I'd like to keep the front ports open for tempory use.
Before calling AppleCare about this, I thought I'd see if anyone has any suggestions about things to try.

Thanks--I tried power cycling (as well as some other suggestions found on Mac sites) but so far, nothing has worked. If I start up with just the FW 800 drive connected to the rear port, it mounts. But as soon as I plug a cable in to the adjacent FW 400 port, the FW 800 hard drive dismounts with the error message that it wasn't unmounted properly. The FW 400 cable is connected to a powered FW hub, but none of the devices connected to the hub are powered on. I also tried another FW 400 cable connected directly to a FW 400 hard drive instead of the hub, but the FW 800 drive still won't mount.
I'll call AppleCare and see what they say--not looking forward to taking the Mac Pro into the shop.

HT1596 connect camcorder to FireWire 400 port

What do I need to connect an HD miniDV camcorder to FireWire 400 port?
thanks

Hi a,
It has to have a FW400 or FW800 port, then you just need a FW400 to FW400 cable or FW800 to FW400 cable. If it has USB, then that's what you have to use.

FireWirer 400 Ports not working, Fix and/or Add PCI FireWire card

Here are some details about my G5:
Hardware Overview:
Machine Name: Power Mac G5
Machine Model:PowerMac7,3
CPU Type: PowerPC G5 (3.0)
Number Of CPUs:2
CPU Speed: 2.3 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 1.15 GHz
Boot ROM Version:5.2.4f1
Serial Number:XXXXXXXXXXXX
FireWire Bus:
Maximum Speed:Up to 800 Mb/sec
I have two FireWire 400 ports that aren't working. I normally use the FireWire 800 port, which works fine.
I've tried:
- Resetting the NVRAM
- Resetting the PRAM
- Resetting the SMU
I haven't been able to run Apple Hardware Test, it is not on my install disc and I must have lost the separate Apple Hardware Test CD... annoying!
1) First Question - Can I do any more to fix the FireWire ports?
I also have a FireWire PCI card, which looks like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815150103 though I can't be for certain that is that one (PCI card purchased by my business partner 4 years ago and was originally in a PC). It's got 3-ports (2x 800 and 1x 400).
2) Second Question - am I ok to install this FireWire PCI card into the G5?
(how do I identify for sure what make of PCI card it is?)
If so, which slot and how should I go about doing it?
Thank you

Hi sohopigeon, and a warm welcome to the forums!
What to do if your computer won't recognize a FireWire or USB device...
If the issue persists, try these steps:
1. Shut down the computer.
2. Disconnect all devices and all other cables, except the keyboard and mouse cable(s).
3. Disconnect the computer from the power outlet and wait for 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Plug the computer back in and turn it on.
5. Reconnect the device(s) (one at a time if there is more than one) and test. Test with each port if you have more than one.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1317
The 7,3 2.3 was PCI-X, I notice this PCI card is NOT for use in PCI-X G5s...
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/PCIFW4P/
While this one works in PCI or PCI-X...
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/ADS%20Technologies%20Inc./API315/
Not sure about yours, but it does say...
PCI 2.2 compliant and works in 32-/64-bit PCI slot
Works in 3.3v or 5V PCI slot
The one that doesn't work in yours above is also PCI 2.2 compliant.

Firewire 400 port wont work

my issue is... my fire wire 400wont read any firewire 400 device, but my 800 port works fine. however, e wheni route my f 400 devices through my 800 drive, or port, the 800 device is ultimately disengaged ( removed) by the system.
i can understand that a 400 port may be wear out but why would the dv cam or other device, routed through an 800, force the 800 device to shut down. in this case i am uising a power book 15 inch, 1.5 gig, with a lacie porsche 250 gig external 400 firewire ( wont read at all) and a lacie 800 firewire 200 gig drive.
seems to me that since the 800 reads fine, that a 400 device routed through it should be okay too.
any helpwould be greatly appreciated.
also the system profiler doesnt recognize a 400port, but does list an 800 port.
thanks eric

FireWire ports can be reset. Shut down the computer, disconnect all peripheral devices, remove the power cord and the battery. Wait twenty minutes, then restart the computer and check the port. If it still doesn't work, reset the Power Management Unit (PMU) according to the instructions for your specific model.
If neither of these steps help in your situation, then you will need to take the machine in for service.
Good luck!

Difference between front and rear FW 400 ports

Hello:
I have a lab of 7 PowerMac G5's (1.8 MHz, single cpu, 512 MB RAM) We have a problem with one of them. Basically, an iSight camera does not work properly with the front firewire port. The problem is repeatable. Different iSight cameras show the same problem. The problem does NOT appear on the other six G5 computers.
Apple can not fix the problem. Now, they are telling me that this is normal behavior. I am being told that the iSight camera transmits a lot of data and the rear firewire port should be used.
This does not seem right to me.
So, my questions are:
1) Has anyone else had a similar problem with the front firewire port? Is the front firewire port limited in some way?
2) Apple's documentation seems to state that the front and one of the rear firewire ports are FW400. Is this correct?
3) If the iSight works on the rear FW port then why shouldn't it work on the front port?
4) If an iSight not working on the front port is "normal behavior", then why does it work on the other 6 computers.
All in all, I have a hard time believing this is normal behavior. I feels like I am being fed a "line".
I would appreciate any comments or insight that anyone might have.

The front port is FW400 and should work with the
iSight. Do you have any other FireWire devices to
try, such as a DV camcorder? If you have no other
FireWire devices, you could use one of your other G5s
in target mode as a test device to see if the port
works. If the port works with a camcorder or
computer in target mode, but not with the iSight, the
problem is probably with the power power connections
on the port. It is a six pin port but target mode
and camcorders only need four pins. The iSight has
to get power from the other two pins. In any case,
Apple should fix it.
Thank you for the tips. I agree that Apple should fix it. I have been informed, however, that since this is "normal behavior" that there is nothing to fix.

LaCie and my FireWire 400 port

While I can connect my PowerBook to my LaCie 500GB HDD thru FireWire 800, establishing connection thru FireWire 400 always results in failure. Why?

You seem to have the same issue as a recent poster. Why not combine or watch each others thread.
Here is the link:
Deborah Biancotti, "External HD: Connects via USB only -- why no FireWire?", 08:07am Oct 31, 2005 CDT

Firewire 800 conflict with Firewire 400 port

hi everyone,
i've been having an issue with the firewire ports where they can't be used simultaneously. when my camcorder is attached via FW400 and an external harddrive is attached via FW800, i can not simultaneously capture footage from the camcorder and save to the external harddrive. i went to the genius bar and the geniuses say that it is because both ports run through the same bus.
i was wondering whether other people have this problem but also more importantly, whether anyone has gotten apple to correct this problem. i read on one discussion board somewhere that someone sent their computer back to apple and had it fixed but i want to figure out whether this is hearsay. i know it is possible to just buy a PCI card with additional ports (and/or daisy chain the peripheries together which i don't want to do) but i find this rather difficult to accept after dropping $2K on a system that i assumed would meet my video editing needs.
please let me know!
thanks so much!

Apple have cut corners and stuck both firewire inputs on the same bus. I actually think this is true for the mac pro too. To be honest not everyone has bandwidth issues, but I am having a nightmare at the moment with a F/W400 audio device and F/W800 HD.
If it is a bandwidth issue then the only solution is to get an express card. I would recommend trying this set-up first to see if it helps. Mac -> F/W 800 HD -> Cam

Rear firewire 400 port

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