What is a FireWire Cable?
FireWire is Apple's trademark for the technology known as IEEE-1394 High Performance Serial Bus, or simply 1394. The 1934 cables are referred to as FireWire Cables by Apple, iLINK cables by SONY and Lynx cables by Texas Instruments. The FireWire cable is a product used for high speed communication and isochronous real time data transfer.
The FireWire cable was designed to be a global interconnect, eliminating the need for many different input/output connectors. The resulting port integration and consolidation of circuit board space results in an overall reduction in product cost and complexity. The FireWire cable can be used with personal computers, digital audio and video, automotive and aeronautics applications.
FireWire has become an adaptable cabling system and nearly all digital products have been implemented with a FireWire cable attachment. FireWire remains the primary transfer mechanism for high end visual and audio equipment and is the standard connection interface for audio/visual (AV) components communication and control.
Today, many computers intended for AV use have built in FireWire ports or FireWire cable attachment. The implemented FireWire interface is especially prevalent with Apple and Sony computers.
There are four types of FireWire connectors available, these are the 4 Pin, 6 Pin, 9 Pin Bilingual, and 9 Pin Beta:
LINDY has a FireWire cable for any purpose - FireWire 400 cables (IEEE1394a) for connecting to FireWire, iLink, DV and Mini DV devices; or FireWire 800 cables (IEEE1394b) which provide data transfer speeds up to 800 megabits/second for use with new generation Apple Mac computers, DV camcorders, scanners, hard drives and DVD drives.
Whether you need a FireWire cable, adapter or extender, LINDY can provide a FireWire solution for your requirement.
FireWire Cable History
Apple, in the 1980's, was the originator of the technology which came to be defined as IEEE-1394. 1394/FireWire is a versatile, high-speed, and low-cost method of interconnecting a variety of personal computer peripherals and consumer electronics devices, while eliminating the frustrating tangle of cables most users encounter today.
Apple intended the FireWire cable to be a replacement for SCSI, whilst providing connectivity for digital video and audio equipment. Although FireWire development began in the 1980's, it wasn't until 1995 that it was completed.
Sony tried to implement the FireWire system and came up with their own version of the FireWire cable called iLINK. This used a smaller connector with only 4 signal circuits that provided power to the device. This was done to eliminate the need for separate power connectors.
Although a FireWire cable is commonly used for connection of data storage devices and DV cameras, it is also popular for AV systems and machine vision. The FireWire cable is preferred over the USB cable as it has far greater speed and power distribution capabilities. The high data transfer rate the FireWire cable provides is unattainable by the common USB.
How does FireWire compare to USB?
A FireWire cable has the capacity for exceptionally fast data transfer and it has become the preferred cable for connecting Digital Video (DV) cameras, scanners, external hard disk drives and DVD drives. In comparison to the USB cable, the FireWire cable allows you to share and stream information without computer assistance.
The table below compares the FireWire interface to USB.
| FireWire | USB | |
| Maximum number of devices | 63 | 127 |
| Hot swappable | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum cable length | 4.5 metres, maximum of 16 connections, maximum total distance 72 metres | 5 metres, maximum of 5 connections, maximum total distance 25 metres |
| Data transfer rate | 400 / 800 Mbps | 1.5 / 12 / 480 Mbps, 5 Gbps |
| Host based | No | Yes |
| Peer based | Yes | No |
Host-based means that a host, such as a PC, is required. The host acts as a controller for all the traffic on the bus. USB requires a host, and FireWire does not.
Peer-based means that each component has all the necessary intelligence to communicate with other peers. FireWire is a peer-to-peer interface. This allows dubbing from one camcorder to another without the need for a computer. Or, for example, you can stream A/V data off a hard disk in real time, without computer assistance. It also allows multiple computers to share a given peripheral without any special support in the peripheral or the computers.
For more information on LINDY's FireWire cables, extenders and adapters, call our friendly consultants on 1800 888 095 or submit an online enquiry form.
