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No FW400 on MP 09, what about 'Bilingual' cable?

E

ekoe

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 7, 2008
69
0
London, UK
As the '09 Mac Pro's have no FireWire 400, is it possible to use a FireWire 400 to FireWire 800 'Bilingual' cable to obtain FW400 capability?
For instance, I have a DSR-11 with Sony iLink... Could I use this 'Bilingual' 9-pin FW800 to 4-pin FW400 (iLink) cable... http://firewiremax.com/9to4fi800fi4.html
Can I expect good results including deck control?
 
Yes, there are FW400 to FW800 cables available from many sources. You can also get a small adapter to do the switch between the different connectors.
 
And would the 'bilingual' cable definitely allow deck control via iLink during video capture? If so, then why are some people citing 'no firewire 400 port' as a reason not to purchase an '09 Mac Pro? Am I missing something?
 
No FW400 isn't an issue, since FW800 has the capacity to run FW400.

All you need is a new cable.

Complaining about lack of FW400 on a machine with FW800, is about as intelligent as complaining about the lack of a $5 bill when you go to buy from the value meal at McD's and decide you can't eat today, when all you have is a $10 bill in your wallet.
 
i bought a couple of these 9pin (800) to 6pin (400) adapters the other day, as well as a fw800 to fw400 cable and a fw800 to mini DV cable. one of the adapters i got is reserved for my 20inch ACD firewire connection, another one for the front (although i hate having stuff sticking out of my mp) and the mini DV cable is just so i don't have an extra socket to come lose while capturing footage

... all for $10 cheaper than a two-port fw400 PCI-E card that would have used up one of my slots. what i would have liked to get, though, is a hub with at least 2x fw400.
 
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ekoe said:
That's scary cheap! :eek:

I'd probably go for the $16 cable... Call me silly, maybe it's the exact same cable, but I'd worry about shielding and other problems because of the price.

Actually, at $16 and $4 I'll just buy both cables.
Click to expand...

All my cables (and many other peoples here and on A/V forums) are from Monoprice. Even my DVI and HDMI cables carrying 1080p video. No issues whatsoever. DVI-VGA adapters, audio cables, component, hdmi "elbows"... same story. I never buy cables anywhere else. Plus they don't rip you off for shipping. They basically charge you the actual price for USPS first class/priority shipping.

I've actually never heard of a problem with one of their cables and they have an excellent return policy (even if you decide you just don't want a cable).

They also offer those cables in the classic "clear" sheathing if you prefer that look (and you can see the shielding ;) ). Here are all their Firewire cables. They also have a few adapters here if you already have a bunch of cables or prefer the flexibility...
 
And another +1 for them. All my HDMI cables, mini-DVI to HDMI for my MacBook, ethernet, most of the cables in my house in fact, never a problem. Will definitely be getting an assortment of FW800/400 adapters and cables for a few bucks each. (And they ship to Canada for cheap using USPS).
 
I thought it had something to do a chipset incompatibility with some FW400 devices not necessarily a speed issue.
 
That's scary cheap!

I'd probably go for the $16 cable... Call me silly, maybe it's the exact same cable, but I'd worry about shielding and other problems because of the price.

Actually, at $16 and $4 I'll just buy both cables.
Click to expand...

Monoprice is great. With FireWire cables, there's virtually no difference between a $4 Monoprice cable and Belkin's overpriced $40-50 "Gold" cable at typical lengths of 3 meters (about 10 feet) and below. The shielding is more than adequate. You don't get a fancy jacket, but who cares?
 
crazzyeddie said:
What are you talking about?

What has an incompatibility?
Click to expand...

I think he may have a point.
I cannot for the life of me get a brand new WD MyBook to work with a 9pin to 6pin cable. The USB on the drive works fine, but no joy on either firewire port.

If if go 6pin to 6pin on a different machine it mounts in seconds. I'm trying desperately to figure out what the problem is.
 
TheNightPhoenix said:
I think he may have a point.
I cannot for the life of me get a brand new WD MyBook to work with a 9pin to 6pin cable. The USB on the drive works fine, but no joy on either firewire port.

If if go 6pin to 6pin on a different machine it mounts in seconds. I'm trying desperately to figure out what the problem is.
Click to expand...

Have you tried updating the firmware from western digital?
 
milk242 said:
Have you tried updating the firmware from western digital?
Click to expand...

No, I'll give it a go when I'm home tonight ( just arrived at work:( )
I tested it with a maxtor, two lacies, a home built enclosure and a canapus capture box and they all work, but the two WDs (they are same model) don't work.
 
I've been using a Belkin 9 pin to 6 pin cable I picked up on eBay on my 2003 PowerBook for years to connect to my FireWire 400 Nikon LS4000 scanner as the other port is being used for my FireWire 400 connected printer. Have you tested the cable on a different FireWire device?
 
TheNightPhoenix said:
No, I'll give it a go when I'm home tonight ( just arrived at work:( )
I tested it with a maxtor, two lacies, a home built enclosure and a canapus capture box and they all work, but the two WDs (they are same model) don't work.
Click to expand...

Firmware upgrade worked. Now everything works on the 9pin to 6pin
But I decided to bust open a couple of my WDs and stick the drives directly inside the mac.
 
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