Check out the following article dealing with choosing FireWire 800 hubs for new Mac Pro, iMacs, and MacBook Pro systems. The piece provides a wealth of information, and EverythingHerePlus.com is an authorized Synchrotech reseller, so you can be assured you are getting quality products backed by our warranty and support.
FireWire 800 Hubs for New iMacs and Macs as easy as 3, 4, 5!
Apple's recent transition to all FireWire 800 ports on their computers marked a major shift in inquiries about FireWire 800 and how to interface with legacy FireWire 400 devices. The good news is, it's very simple and straight forward to connect FireWire 800 with FireWire 400 devices and vice versa.
Bridging FireWire 400 to FireWire 800 provides difference case scenarios and products for hassle free connections.
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) Ready! The 6into9 (CAB-FW8-6-9-CONV) is an inexpensive alternative to using 6 to 9 Pin FireWire cables with the latest Macs featuring FireWire 800 ports. The 6into9 adapter allows the use of 6-Pin FireWire 400 devices and cables on any 9-Pin FireWire 800 port, including those found on the all new MacBook Pro 15 inch, MacBook Pro 17 inch, Mac Pro, and Mac Mini.
Featuring the best shielding and construction, the 6into9 is only $9.00!
> What we would like is the:
> FW8-FIO-UB4PRH Unibrain FireRepeater-800 Pro FireWire 800 IEEE 1394b
> Repeater Hub 4 Port
> Assuming (all ports a bi-directional) as we would like 4 output
> devices feeding into
> 1 input device.
Since FireWire is a true peer-to-peer technology, unlike say, the prosaic USB standard, terminology for FireWire repeaters and hubs is a little different. Typically the count on a FireWire repeater hub is the total available ports, since the host computer is considered just another peer level device. In other words, plugging a computer into the FW8-FIO-UB4PRH leaves three available ports left. If you have 5 total devices to connect (including a computer), then you could deploy two of the repeater hubs in conjunction with each other. The following schematic illustrates one such configuration with FW8R1 and FW8R2 representing separate FW8-FIO-UB4PRH units.
FW8R1
-----
HOST --- = p1 |
| p2 = --- DEVICE FW8R2
| p3 = --- DEVICE -----
| p4 = ------------ = p1 |
----- | p2 = --- DEVICE
| p3 = --- DEVICE
| p4 = --- DEVICE
-----|
The Glass Optical Fiber Repeater 800™ provides the most reliable and straight forward solution applications requiring long FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394b) cable runs. Available with either LC or MT-RJ connectors, the GOF Repeater extends FireWire 800 signals up to 550 meters over standard glass optical fiber cables. No need for daisy chains of repeaters and long cables, each Glass Optical Fiber Repeater-800™ provides two FireWire 800 bilingual copper ports and one optical port.
GOFR 800™ is an excellent solution for many situations requiring long distance FireWire 800 or FireWire 400 applications. Unibrain has tested and recommended the following over distances of up to 550 meters: FireWire cameras, DV Camcorder, Hard Drive storage, and high performance networking. Glass Optical Fiber Repeater 800™ utilizes the Texas Instruments TSB81BA3D, and is constructed from heavy duty, coated galvanized steel.
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) Ready! The 6into9 (CAB-FW8-6-9-CONV) is an inexpensive alternative to using 6 to 9 Pin FireWire cables with the latest MacBook Pro which features a single FireWire 800 port. Allows use of 6-Pin FireWire 400 devices and cables on any 9-Pin FireWire 800 port, including the MacBook Pro. Here is a list of links with information on this item.
