Warning DVX Firewire Port Burn-out

If you want to be safe, you'd turn the computer off. The computer is the device that's supplying power. No 4-pin port carries a power signal, so whether the camera is on or off, it's not putting power on the bus. But the computer is.

So for 100% reliable safety, if using a 6-pin firewire port on your computer, you should turn the computer off before plugging in a camcorder.

For 4-pin computers (like PC laptops) it's not an issue; you can safely hot-plug all day long regardless of whether the power's on to the computer or the camera or both. But for a 6-to-4 connection (such as with PC desktops and all Macs) there is a risk, as we've seen dozens of reports of people with various types of camcorders reporting burnt-out firewire ports.
 
can you get a 6pin to 4 pin adaptor for the PC, and then a 4pin to 4pin firewire cable, so its like your just plugging in a 4pin all the time?

That way you can leave the cable plugged into the comp and the comp turned on, and then just plug in the camera when needed?
 
galluses said:
I have been told by an electronics company that the above rule should be applied to all non earthed devices when attaching to earthed devices
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This is true. I fried an external DVD burner this way. Luckily, Pioneer replaced it under warranty.
 
So the worst thing you could do is leave the camera on when plugging/unplugging, is that correct? Not following this advice would make operation... what... 50% safe/reliable?

How bad is it to leave the computer on with the cable plugged in? Would this lead to reliability/safety at say, 90%?

(just out of curiousity as to how much each affects the equation...)
 
filmguy123 said:
So the worst thing you could do is leave the camera on when plugging/unplugging, is that correct? Not following this advice would make operation... what... 50% safe/reliable?

How bad is it to leave the computer on with the cable plugged in? Would this lead to reliability/safety at say, 90%?

(just out of curiousity as to how much each affects the equation...)
Click to expand...
You can't assign a % chance to it. Just make sure the camera is off when you plug it in.
If you're paranoid, turn the computer off too.
That way you'll be OK

I leave my firewire leads plugged into the PC and Mac all the time.
On the PC, it's plugged onto the "internal" socket mounted on the top of the card, (Simple reason - as the side is off the PC anyway, I end up with about a foot more cable to play with, as compared to having it plugged in the back)



EDIT:

The manual for the DVX100BE reads as follows:
Before proceeding to connect or disconnect DV (IEEE1394) cable, be absolutely sure to turn off the power of the units
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Read it. It's on page E-53 (of the UK manual, US might be different)

Note Panasonic say units, ie. both ends.
That's the official line from Panasonic, but the unofficial answer is as Barry and others (myself included) have said - it's OK to plug a live Firewire cable into a switched off camera.
 
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