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    Firewire solution possibilities with advent of USB 3.0?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by lsn, Feb 8, 2012.

  1. lsn

    lsn Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hello to all!
    I have an Asus N53SM w/o Firewire hook-ups.
    I used to use an M-Audio Firewire410 on my XPS before I upgraded to my Asus... I knew this was going to be a problem but I figured I could live w/o it.
    And I can.

    Now I just want to figure out if there is anything I can do to add firewire support to my PCIMA-less laptop.

    From what I understand, the firewire interface had two sets of data I/O's and the bus operates on a peer-to-peer protocol allowing for asynchronous and isochronous communication.

    Noting that a USB 2.0 connection only has 1 set of data I/O's, I understand that the bandwidth is not there for a proper USB to FireWire conversion. This has been stated by many users with older DV camcorders that require firewire for video transfer.

    This also explains why ExpressCard to USB adapters will not function entirely correctly.

    However, the new USB 3.0 connections do sport, what looks like, two sets of data I/O's, yet I haven't found anything about adapters for usb 3.0 to firewire.

    One thing I didn't find was the power difference between USB and FireWire. I know that the 6 pin connections can supply up to 45 watts, but all I can find about USB is that they are capable of up to 5 amps of output.


    Here is the page describing the physical connections inside USB and FireWire
    Tech Info - USB & Firewire

    Any ideas on if USB 3.0 to FireWire will become into a viable solution?
    I have no idea if my m-audio device would require isochronos communication or not... but at this point, I'm half-way considering pioneering the idea...
     
    lsn, Feb 8, 2012
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  2. lsn

    lsn Notebook Enthusiast

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    Nobody? Really?
    No aspiring studio recording/ music junkies out there?

    EE's? CE's?
     
    lsn, Feb 9, 2012
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  3. Krane

    Krane Notebook Prophet

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    If you have peripheral that use firewire then you need a notebook that has those ports. If not, you already know that if one port becomes obsolete then you will need some sort of converter to take it's place.

    Since USB 3.0 is capable of supporting all the current data rates, it's my guess that it most likely it will be the standard port of all item in the future.
     
    Krane, Feb 9, 2012
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