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Resolved HELP! I need a SATA 22pin to Firewire cable

D

dgrey

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Original poster
Jul 2, 2021
190
388
I have a 3.5 inch hard drive that has been sitting on ice on a shelf in a closet that came out of a G5 imac. It’s a 3.5inch HD with a 22 pin SATA connection on it (15 for power, 7 for data). I need a SATA 22pin to Firewire cable. Why Firewire? Because I have a old 2008 white MacBook that I need to connect this HD to so I can get data off of it. I believe the HD should be able to spin up and run just off of the power supplied by the Firewire?

I don’t have a computer newer than that MacBook. Why? I don’t need one. My computing needs are such that an iPad Air 3 with Apple Smart Keyboard are all I need. I’ve moved past laptops and desktops. I even used an iPadOS app to covert .WMV to .MP4/.MOV recently. Something that would have a required a laptop or desktop computer not too long ago. I’m typing this post using the iPad and Smart Keyboard right now.

I just need to find someplace that will sell me a cable like that, and I’m having a hard time finding one online. New or used, as long as it works and does the job. Or, if someone can recommend a brick and mortar computer store in NYC that can help, please share. I don’t think B&H is going to have what I’m looking for.

My last resort is to rent a laptop and get a different kind of cable, but I really don’t want to do that, if I can avoid it. Too expensive.

Any help is very much appreciated.

Thanks :)
 
It's unlikely that you will fit such a cable easily. Best bet would be to find a SATA enclosure with Firewire. Might find some for a decent price on eBay or Craigslist.

That MacBook has USB. Why not go with a SATA to USB adapter? Plenty of those available.
 
glenthompson said:
It's unlikely that you will fit such a cable easily. Best bet would be to find a SATA enclosure with Firewire. Might find some for a decent price on eBay or Craigslist.

That MacBook has USB. Why not go with a SATA to USB adapter? Plenty of those available.
Click to expand...

Because it’s a 2008 MacBook, as I said, and the USB on that won’t power the Hard Drive.
 
McScooby said:
Assuming your in the US, quick search shows this - https://www.amazon.com/Acomdata-Firewire-3-5-Inch-Enclosure-SMBXXXU2FE-BLK/dp/B001PN3QCU
Either that or Google about for a FireWire 400 (ilink) to SATA cable, a bit like this (although I know this is fw800) https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-FreeAgent-GoFlex-Upgrade-FireWire/dp/B003IT6PHC
Click to expand...
Yeah, the enclosure is far more money than I am willing to spend when just a much less expensive cable will do. Something like that would be a last resort. And then it would be useless to me once I am done with it. FW 800 cables will work with 400 as long as it has the right plug on one end.

I’ve tried searching for Firewire to SATA cables, but I’m having a hard time finding one. I know they are out there. Lots of people had them. I know they are lying around. I mean, even a used one, it doesn’t have to be brand new.
 
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It sounds to me that you are merely looking to retrieve the data off of said hard drive... not actually use the drive as a drive going forward, correct?

Below was a quick search, I have no experience with said business, just using it as an example:

www.rossmanngroup.com

Stress-Free MacBook Repair | Call Rossmann Repair Group Inc.!

Industry-Leading MacBook Repair. Upfront Pricing, Honest MacBook Repair Technicians. Risk-Free Estimates. Call Us at (347) 552-2258!
www.rossmanngroup.com www.rossmanngroup.com

If you are merely looking to extract data from the drive, places such as this may be able to assist you.
 
dgrey said:
I’ve tried searching for Firewire to SATA cables, but I’m having a hard time finding one.
Click to expand...
There is no such thing. It takes more than a cable to convert one protocol to the other.
 
pmiles said:
It sounds to me that you are merely looking to retrieve the data off of said hard drive... not actually use the drive as a drive going forward, correct?

Below was a quick search, I have no experience with said business, just using it as an example:

www.rossmanngroup.com

Stress-Free MacBook Repair | Call Rossmann Repair Group Inc.!

Industry-Leading MacBook Repair. Upfront Pricing, Honest MacBook Repair Technicians. Risk-Free Estimates. Call Us at (347) 552-2258!
www.rossmanngroup.com www.rossmanngroup.com

If you are merely looking to extract data from the drive, places such as this may be able to assist you.
Click to expand...

Right, I merely want to retrieve data from the Hard Drive. I have no desire to use it going forward. I know I can take it some place like that, but that’s a lot of money, and if I could get my hands on the right cable, I can do this myself. All I need is the cable! o_O (frustration).
 
chabig said:
There is no such thing. It takes more than a cable to convert one protocol to the other.
Click to expand...

Huh? That’s not true at all! I have used these cables before. I used to work in IT support a long time ago at an Ad Agency. We had these cables, and used them all the time.
 
McScooby said:
The power plugged into the caddy would tho, I just figured u wanted fw for the thoroughput, if you’re not fussed, then usb2 would be the easiest way to go.
Click to expand...

What do you mean “the power plugged into the caddy”? You mean, get an enclosure?
 
dgrey said:
Huh? That’s not true at all! I have used these cables before. I used to work in IT support a long time ago at an Ad Agency. We had these cables, and used them all the time.
Click to expand...
They had active electronics built it...may as well buy an enclosure. Here is a nice one for $50 and it has USB so it will remain useful far into the future.

eshop.macsales.com

OWC Mercury On-The-Go Multi-Interface Enclosure Kit

The OWC Mercury On-The-Go USB 3.0 & 2.0 / FireWire 800 (FireWire 400 Backwards Compatible) Enclosure Kit packs an incredible punch into a 11 ounce package!
eshop.macsales.com eshop.macsales.com
 
McScooby said:
Yeah, cheapest & easiest way.
Click to expand...

Well, not as cheap as if I can just find one of these cables. Enclosures are expensive compared to a cable, especially when the enclosure is useless to me afterwards.
 
chabig said:
They had active electronics built it...may as well buy an enclosure.
Click to expand...

If I can find the cable I am looking for, it will work. These cables exist and work. I’ve used them. They are out there.
 
dgrey said:
Well, not as cheap as if I can just find one of these cables. Enclosures are expensive compared to a cable, especially when the enclosure is useless to me afterwards.
Click to expand...
Get it off eBay punt it on eBay, tbh the wasted time you’d spend looking for a fw400 might make it worth it, either that or just go for the $40 enclosure I linked to on Amazon.com, depends how much your time is worth I guess.
 
I have a LaCie enclosure with a corrupted Hard Drive in it. I’m going to take it apart and see if I can put this other Hard Drive in it. I found an instruction video on YouTube. Wish me luck.
 
dgrey said:
I have a LaCie enclosure with a corrupted Hard Drive in it. I’m going to take it apart and see if I can put this other Hard Drive in it. I found an instruction video on YouTube. Wish me luck.
Click to expand...
Good Luck. If the HD interface is the same this should be an easy task. I've done it many time.

If the HDs have different interfaces, then a kit like this one is often a good choice when the drive will be connected only temporarily.
https://smile.amazon.com/SATA-IDE-Drive-USB-Adapter/dp/B07S81GYQB/ref=sr_1_11?crid=IP9B4ZKZKVAK&dchild=1&keywords=hard+drive+adapter+cable+to+usb&qid=1625320516&sprefix=hard+drive+ada,aps,228&sr=8-11

This kit handles power and a rather wide range of HD interfaces. There are a number of these on the market from a number of different suppliers
 
You're not going to find a "SATA to firewire adapter".
I don't ever recall seeing one for sale.

A standard 3.5 SATA to firewire enclosure would work.
It will need its own power supply.
Most come with a power supply (or have it built into the enclosure).

BUT...
A 2008 MBP has USB2 ports. These are all you need.

Why not get a USB3/SATA docking station and use that?
They are cheap and plentiful.
They are backward-compatible with USB2.
They are VERY useful to have around (they can handle 3.5" and 2.5" hard drives and SSDs).

Stop wasting your time searching for an "adapter".
I don't think you're going to find one.
 
Fishrrman said:
You're not going to find a "SATA to firewire adapter".
I don't ever recall seeing one for sale.

A standard 3.5 SATA to firewire enclosure would work.
It will need its own power supply.
Most come with a power supply (or have it built into the enclosure).

BUT...
A 2008 MBP has USB2 ports. These are all you need.

Why not get a USB3/SATA docking station and use that?
They are cheap and plentiful.
They are backward-compatible with USB2.
They are VERY useful to have around (they can handle 3.5" and 2.5" hard drives and SSDs).

Stop wasting your time searching for an "adapter".
I don't think you're going to find one.
Click to expand...
They exist because I used them in the past.
 
All done. I took apart a LaCie external HD that had a corrupt HD in it and used the internals from that to hook up the old G5 iMac HD to the old 2008 MacBook with FireWire. I gained access to the drive, and all it’s data. Problem solved.
 
Best thing I ever bought for handling bare drives was a "toaster" type enclosure. Drive drops in and it has an external power supply and USB interface. Works with 2.5" and 3.5" drives and SSDs. This one is an example.
 
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
First of all you're technically right but wrong, while the Firewire can power a 3.5" HD, no one really ever developed a single cable solution connecting Firewire to a powered SATA connector for various reasons. You may confused them with the 2.5" HD connectors, and if you're an old timer like me, with the old IDE cables.

if you want to access a 3.5" HD you'll need a SATA cable that is externally powered regardless what type of connection you're using (USB or Firewire). It will not power up just from the Firewire or the USB port.

In any case, You'll need something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Drive-Adapter-Compatible-Optical/dp/B089F1XYNT/ref=sr_1_13?dchild=1&keywords=USB+3.0+to+SATA+Adapter+Hard+Disk+Drive+Cable+SATA+III+22pin+External+Converter+Connector+Support+2.5”+HDD%2FSSC+and+3.5”+HDD+Compatible+with+Windows+Mac+Linux&qid=1625697609&sr=8-13

if you still want to look for a Firewire option, look for a USB female to Firewire 400 male adapter (I cannot see the reason, you just make your life more difficult). A bit more difficult to find but there are some available on Ebay and other vendors.

My point is you make your life miserable with no reason:
you need external powered SATA adapter.
you don't need a firewire connection if you have USB ports available.
Firewire will not be faster than the USB-A port on reading your HD at this instance.
 
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