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IEEE-1394 FireWire
By Stephen Bucaro
IEEE-1394 is a port designed by Apple Computer to transfer data from digital camcorders.
Also known as FireWire, this interface doesn't rely on a high powered microprocessor.
In fact, it can be used to connect two devices, for example, a camcorder and a DVD player,
without using a PC.
Firewire competes with USB as a replacement for legacy interfaces like serial ports,
parallel ports, and SCSI. When USB 2.0 was introduced, it was faster than IEEE-1394
(480 Mbps compared to 400Mbps). Then 1,600 Mbps IEEE-1394b was introduced. FireWire
supports the same features as USB, like hot-swapping and daisy-chaining devices. Each
FireWire host can support up to 16 devices. For more devices, you can use a FireWire hub.
Standard FireWire uses a six-wire connector, but self powered devices use only four wires.
To connect these devices, you may need a six-wire to four-wire converter cable.
The popularity of camcorders and DVD players is causing FireWire to migrate to the PC
world where it is experiencing some problems. Windows versions before Windows 2000 do not
support FireWire. Windows 2000 Plug-and-Play sometimes fails to recognize FireWire devices,
and when it does, the devices sometimes do not work properly.
To troubleshoot a PC FireWire interface, in Control Panel's Device Manager, open the
branch for IEEE-1394 controllers to view the list of installed devices. If the IEEE-1394
branch does not appear, restart the computer and access the BIOS setup. Make sure the
IEEE-1394 port is enabled in the BIOS.
If a IEEE-1394 device in Control Panel has an exclamation mark or a red x next to it,
there is a problem with the port. Some early PC chipset drivers do not work correctly
for FireWire. It is possible to update your chipset drivers, but be sure to perform
a complete backup before you do. More information about how to troubleshoot Device
Manager problems is covered in another article.
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