HotPlugging Firewire>HVX

B

BobFiske

New member
The Pana manual was pretty clear that both the camera and laptop should be off when connecting a Firewire. I thought 1394 was a little more Plug-n-play than that. What are peoples' experience with this?

I don't want to reboot for every time I want to disconnect the cam and the PC..
(Using DVrack 2.0 HD)

Bob
 
You dont have to, but there have been multiple reports of the Firewire Port on the HVX200 shorting out and not working unless sent to Panasonic to be repaired, Its up to you to gamble.
 
I suppose the risk is much higher with powered 6-pin Firewire ports. PC laptops rarely have them, while all Macs do AFAIK. The ability to power peripherals using a laptop can be a great asset, but if you are going to connect a camera, it is a potential drawback.
 
You're not going to have a problem on most PC laptops, with 4-pin firewire on both sides. But there have been numerous reports of all sorts of other cameras (VX2000s, PD150s, FX1s, Z1s, HD100s, and DVXs) all having their firewire ports blown by hot-swapping (plugging and/or unplugging while the power was on).

This is mainly an issue with Mac laptops because they all have six-pin ports. And it could be an issue with any desktop because desktop ports are typically six-pin.

So the answer is: yes it's supposed to be hot-swappable, but y'know what? Firewire ports are blowing up. So "supposed to be" gets relegated to the junk heap and the recommendation is "just don't do it".
 
Wasn't someone trying to find a cable that didn't carry power, or trying to hack a cable so it didn't carry power? I thought I saw a post about that sometime back. It seems like that would be the best way to go when connecting your camera.
 
All 6-pin to 4-pin cables don't carry power, the extra two pins provide power on the bus.

However, a damaged cable or incorrectly plugged in 6-pin end (yes, people manage that somehow) can deliver 30V DC on what are supposed to be data pins, leading to virtually certain damage to the electronics.
 
4 pin (small ones) cables do not carry any power, neither do 6-4 converters, danger comes when you plug the cable in a 6 pin connector and bend or missalign the connector and the 2 devices are on (camera and computer) recomendation is: turn on at least one of them (camera is easier) but in case of fear, turn on both.
 
erdiaz said:
4 pin (small ones) cables do not carry any power, neither do 6-4 converters, danger comes when you plug the cable in a 6 pin connector and bend or missalign the connector and the 2 devices are on (camera and computer) recomendation is: turn on at least one of them (camera is easier) but in case of fear, turn on both.
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So connecting the device to a Mac using the required 4 to 6 pin cable shouldn't be an issue?

Especially if the Panny is turned off when connecting?
 
David S. said:
So connecting the device to a Mac using the required 4 to 6 pin cable shouldn't be an issue?
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That's exactly what the issue IS though. Somehow they're plugging in the cable in a way that power is getting transmitted. It can only happen on a Mac or a desktop because those are the only ones with powered ports.

You have no choice but to use a 6-to-4 cable because the Mac is 6-pin and the HVX is 4-pin.

Somehow something is shorting out and power is getting sent onto the 4-pin connector and blowing up the ports.

Especially if the Panny is turned off when connecting?
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That is the bare minimum step you must take. Manufacturers are now advising that both products (computer and camera) be powered off before connecting/disconnecting.
 
David S. said:
Apparently 4 to six pin FW cables do not draw power.
Click to expand...

There's the way things should be, and there's the way things are. And they're not the same.

You're right, a 4 to 6 should not be drawing power. And the guys who say "there should be no problem, firewire is designed to be hot-swappable" are right too.

And yet the landscape is littered with blown firewire ports from people who hot-swapped 4-6 cables on their Macs and their cameras.
 
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