Mid 2017 iMac 5k to Firewire

[DearthnVader]

So what adapters, dongles, and cables do I need to go from Thunderbolt 3 to Firewire 400?

I know OWC makes a Thunderdock 3 w/firewire, but I'm not spending $250 for this project.

Would this work?

TB3 to TB2>Apple TB to FW800 adapter>FW800 to FW400 cable.

Sold out | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Sold out at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Power & Cables - Mac Accessories

Find cables, charging docks and battery cases for Mac. Charge and sync up your Mac. Buy online with fast, free shipping

www.apple.com

PASOW FireWire 800 to 400 9 to 6 pin Cable (9pin 6pin) 6FT, IEEE 1394 Firewire 800 9-pin/6-pin Cable 6 Feet(9 pin to 6 pin)

9 PIN 6PIN BILINGUAL FireWire 800 - FireWire 400 Cable, 6FT, Black. FireWire 800 (FireWire 1394b) is the new version of the popular FireWire interface which doubles the throughput of the original IEEE-1394a FireWire interface from 400Mbps to 800Mbps. ''Bilingual'' Firewire cables allow you to con...

www.amazon.com

 

[JERRY LAUFER]

I have the same setup that works fine on my 21.5 inch 4K 2019 iMac except the Firewire 800(1394B), 9 pin male to 400(1394), 4 pin male adaptor cable. The 400, 4 pin male matches my Panasonic PV-SG250 output that I copy the Mini DV tapes from. You should be okay if your selected cable adaptor has the correct connector for your firewire source.

It is - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KPZTZNM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[DearthnVader]

I have the same setup that works fine on my 21.5 inch 4K 2019 iMac except the Firewire 800(1394B), 9 pin male to 400(1394), 4 pin male adaptor cable. The 400, 4 pin male matches my Panasonic PV-SG250 output that I copy the Mini DV tapes from. You should be okay if your selected cable adaptor has the correct connector for your firewire source.

It is - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KPZTZNM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ok thanks, I also caught a YouTube video that said that setup would work.

It's a bit annoying that Thunderbolt 1/2/3 supports FireWire but Apple chose not to include a physical port rather than have us go down the daisy chain of dongles.

 

[chrfr]

So what adapters, dongles, and cables do I need to go from Thunderbolt 3 to Firewire 400?

I know OWC makes a Thunderdock 3 w/firewire, but I'm not spending $250 for this project.

Would this work?

TB3 to TB2>Apple TB to FW800 adapter>FW800 to FW400 cable.

Yes, that’ll work perfectly fine.

 

[Fishrrman]

"Would this work?
TB3 to TB2>Apple TB to FW800 adapter>FW800 to FW400 cable."

Yes.
That's the proper cabling setup.
I'd buy used adapters on ebay to save some money.

HOWEVER -- IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION:
I believe that with the above setup, firewire bus power IS NOT transmitted through the adapters.
(I could be wrong)

What this means is ... if the firewire device you're trying to connect depends on bus power from the Mac to run...
... then it MAY NOT run (due to lack of bus power).

Could you tell us WHAT TYPE OF FIREWIRE DEVICE you want to connect?

If it's just a drive mounted in a firewire enclosure, it might be simpler to open the enclosure, and take the drive and either put it into a USB3 dock, or perhaps a USB3 external enclosure.

 

[DearthnVader]

"Would this work?
TB3 to TB2>Apple TB to FW800 adapter>FW800 to FW400 cable."

Yes.
That's the proper cabling setup.
I'd buy used adapters on ebay to save some money.

HOWEVER -- IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION:
I believe that with the above setup, firewire bus power IS NOT transmitted through the adapters.
(I could be wrong)

What this means is ... if the firewire device you're trying to connect depends on bus power from the Mac to run...
... then it MAY NOT run (due to lack of bus power).

Could you tell us WHAT TYPE OF FIREWIRE DEVICE you want to connect?

If it's just a drive mounted in a firewire enclosure, it might be simpler to open the enclosure, and take the drive and either put it into a USB3 dock, or perhaps a USB3 external enclosure.

It's a AVID MBox 3 Pro and I don't think it needs bus power as it has it's own power supply unit.

I think the Apple TB to FW allows for 7w bus power, but that's the 2nd device in the chain so I'm not sure the TB3 to TB2 device will pass any or enough power, but I assume it would.

I'll test it with my MAudio Audiophile FW as that works just fine with bus power.

 

[DearthnVader]

Also, does anyone know if the Thunderbolt 3 ports on the Mid 2017 iMac support USB as well, or are the TB only?

 

[GoodWheaties]

Also, does anyone know if the Thunderbolt 3 ports on the Mid 2017 iMac support USB as well, or are the TB only?

Yes, it supports USB. TB3 OUTPUT ports on computers always support USB, but TB3 INPUT ports on devices usually only support TB3.

 

[scottrngr]

Ok thanks, I also caught a YouTube video that said that setup would work.

It's a bit annoying that Thunderbolt 1/2/3 supports FireWire but Apple chose not to include a physical port rather than have us go down the daisy chain of dongles.

 

[scottrngr]

So what adapters, dongles, and cables do I need to go from Thunderbolt 3 to Firewire 400?

I know OWC makes a Thunderdock 3 w/firewire, but I'm not spending $250 for this project.

Would this work?

TB3 to TB2>Apple TB to FW800 adapter>FW800 to FW400 cable.

Sold out | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Sold out at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Power & Cables - Mac Accessories

Find cables, charging docks and battery cases for Mac. Charge and sync up your Mac. Buy online with fast, free shipping

www.apple.com

PASOW FireWire 800 to 400 9 to 6 pin Cable (9pin 6pin) 6FT, IEEE 1394 Firewire 800 9-pin/6-pin Cable 6 Feet(9 pin to 6 pin)

9 PIN 6PIN BILINGUAL FireWire 800 - FireWire 400 Cable, 6FT, Black. FireWire 800 (FireWire 1394b) is the new version of the popular FireWire interface which doubles the throughput of the original IEEE-1394a FireWire interface from 400Mbps to 800Mbps. ''Bilingual'' Firewire cables allow you to con...

www.amazon.com

Maybe it would be cheaper to find an old Mini with the Firewire port. You can only capture at 480p.

 

[DearthnVader]

Maybe it would be cheaper to find an old Mini with the Firewire port. You can only capture at 480p.

It's an audio device.

 

[DearthnVader]

Just an update, this daisy chain of devices does seem to work!