FW400 to FW800 power

[cube]

Has anybody powered an FW800 drive from an FW400 port?

Because the time I tried to power FW400 from FW800 it didn't work.

 

[Blipp]

FW400 doesn't carry any power so no it's not going to work.

 

[cube]

FW400 doesn't carry any power so no it's not going to work.

Of course it does. That's why the ports can blow so that the FW800 connector was improved.

I am not using one of those awful mini FW ports.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

FW400 doesn't carry any power so no it's not going to work.

They do. That's why we had to send some DV decks back to Sony, as they were often kaputt due to the wrong order of connecting them to the computer.

FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394-1995)

The original release of IEEE 1394-1995[11] specified what is now known as FireWire 400. It can transfer data between devices at 100, 200, or 400 Mbit/s half-duplex data rates (the actual transfer rates are 98.304, 196.608, and 393.216 Mbit/s, i.e., 12.288, 24.576 and 49.152 megabytes per second respectively).[4] These different transfer modes are commonly referred to as S100, S200, and S400.
Cable length is limited to 4.5 metres (14.8 ft), although up to 16 cables can be daisy chained using active repeaters; external hubs, or internal hubs are often present in FireWire equipment. The S400 standard limits any configuration's maximum cable length to 72 metres (236 ft). The 6-circuit connector is commonly found on desktop computers, and can supply the connected device with power.
The 6-circuit powered connector, now referred to as an alpha connector, adds power output to support external devices. Typically a device can pull about 7 to 8 watts from the port; however, the voltage varies significantly from different devices.[12] Voltage is specified as unregulated and should nominally be about 25 volts (range 24 to 30). Apple's implementation on laptops is typically related to battery power and can be as low as 9 V.

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_1394_interface#FireWire_400_.28IEEE_1394-1995.29

 

[cube]

They do. That's why we had to send some DV decks back to Sony, as they were often kaputt due to the wrong order of connecting them to the computer.


from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_1394_interface#FireWire_400_.28IEEE_1394-1995.29

Which is the right order??

 

[walterwhite]

4 pin = 400 FW no power - used on DV video cameras
6 pin = 400 FW with power - HD's, scanners, etc
9 pin = 800 FW with power

The great thing about firewire... no processor power is used, unlike USB that uses the processor.

 

[cube]

We know that. The question is if it's possible to have power between 6 pin and 9 pin for each direction (cable issue?)

 

[Blipp]

4 pin = 400 FW no power - used on DV video cameras
6 pin = 400 FW with power - HD's, scanners, etc
9 pin = 800 FW with power

The great thing about firewire... no processor power is used, unlike USB that uses the processor.

I've always heard the 6pin variant referred to as FW600 while FW400 was reserved only for the mini 4pin which doesn't have power. I realize it may not be technically correct but it's always allowed easier differentiation between the two connectors.

 

[ActionableMango]

I've always heard the 6pin variant referred to as FW600 while FW400 was reserved only for the mini 4pin which doesn't have power. I realize it may not be technically correct but it's always allowed easier differentiation between the two connectors.

I've always heard of the 4-pin being referred to as iLink on Sony devices or mini firewire everywhere else.

I thought FW400 and 800 refer to the speed, so 600 makes no sense to me at all.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

I've always heard of the 4-pin being referred to as iLink on Sony devices or mini firewire everywhere else.

I thought FW400 and 800 refer to the speed, so 600 makes no sense to me at all.

Me too, I never heard of FW600 for the 6-pin port.
The 4-pin port is often referred to as DV-IN or DV-OUT too.

 

[cube]

OK, I can power an FW400 drive from FW800. I think it was my FW400 repeater hub that couldn't be powered.

I imagine an FW800 drive can be powered from FW400, too.