Thunderbolt or USB out to Firewire Hard Drive?

[hakr100]

I have a nice, almost new Firewire 800 hard drive that I thought would be a good extra storage unit for my new MBA 13.

But, of course, the MBA has no Firewire out port. So, I'm wondering if I can use the USB port out or the Thunderbolt port on my new laptop with a cable that has a Firewire 800 plug on the other end. Obviously, two-way communication between the devices is required. USB speeds would be more than acceptable.

I know Apple makes such a cable, but it seems to have mixed reviews, and I'm not certain it'll work for my application.

Do-able? If so any recommendation on a supplier of such cables?

Thanks!

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

To my knowledge, the only thing you'll be able to use is Apple's Thunderbolt to FireWire 800 adaptor. USB won't work.
http://store.apple.com/ca/product/MD464ZM/A/apple-thunderbolt-to-firewire-adapter

 

[hakr100]

To my knowledge, the only thing you'll be able to use is Apple's Thunderbolt to FireWire 800 adaptor. USB won't work.
http://store.apple.com/ca/product/MD464ZM/A/apple-thunderbolt-to-firewire-adapter

Thanks. I'm aware of that bit of goods, but there are reports that it doesn't behave well with a bus-powered hard drive...you have to plug the drive in to an AC power source.

 

[jmoore5196]

I've never had a problem with the Thunderbolt-to-Firewire adapter, and I only use G-Tech bus-powered FW800 drives.

 

[Bear]

I've never had a problem with the Thunderbolt-to-Firewire adapter, and I only use G-Tech bus-powered FW800 drives.

Some bus-powered drives require more power than others.

I have a nice, almost new Firewire 800 hard drive that I thought would be a good extra storage unit for my new MBA 13.
...
I know Apple makes such a cable, but it seems to have mixed reviews, and I'm not certain it'll work for my application.

The Apple cable is $30(US). A new 1TB bus powered drive is under $80. It might be worth the extra money to not have to deal with having to carry around the adapter?

Also, a better question is what brand is your hard drive, some (like Seagate) have drive models that allow you to change the interface. The one for USB 3.0 for Seagate portables runs about $30.