the whole firewire thing

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patssle

Well-known member
I just bought the HVX200. Reading the papers with it and recently browsing the forum, I've read about the issue of static and the possibility of firewire port being fried or something to that extent?

I've been hot plugging/unplugging firewire from GL2s, GY-DV500, and GY-DV5100U cameras for 3 years now many times a week. I've been around many editing stations between my college TV department and my job at a production house. I have NEVER encountered or even heard of this problem 'til these warnings from Panasonic and reading on this message board...and firewire has been around for a long time.

Is this really an issue? I'm plugging firewire (6 pin to 4) in from my computer to the HVX. It's pretty impractical to have to turn off the computer each time to plug it in.
 
Panasonic's advice is to plug the cable into the computer first (it can be on), thus discharging any static electricity, and then plug into the camera while the camera is off. I've followed this advice, but I've also disconnected while hot, but then I use a 4 pin to 4 pin, so no power.
 
the second issue is the fragile nature of the 4 pin connection.

A better solution is a six pin connection that isn't powered.
 
I believe (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) that the problem has to do only with 6 pin to 6 pin firewire connections. Evidently, it's power supply voltage, not static, that is the problem, and power isn't passed through a 4 pin connection.

What I can tell you with complete assurance is that in certain cases, most particularly with the Canopus ADVC-100 Firewire to analog video conversion box (which is 6 pin), hot plugging it into a likewise-hot Mac will often fry the firewire port, usually in the computer (just the port involved, not the entire bus), but sometimes also in the Canopus.

One of my clients did this to his G4, and so did a major NYC recording studio I often work at. Thankfully, I caught on to it before frying my iBook at this particular studio, but not before I witnessed a hot-unplug/replug completely hose the functionality of said iBook without crashing it. Audio played from it, but in a completely crazy, drunken wobble. A full shutdown/restart put it back to normal. In fairness to Canopus, there's a warning sticker on most ADVC-100s warning against hot swapping, but not on some early production models.

Reportedly the front firewire connector of a G5 or newer is non-powered and thus safe for hot plugging, but the back ones aren't. This may be part of the reason some folks never have a problem since the front is often used just for short term transfer jobs and then disconnected.

Again, I *think* you're safe with a 4 pin connector, but I'll be looking for some corroboration on this.
 
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I'm not so sure about 6 to 4 pin being safe, I've read about lots of DVXs being fried via hot swapping the firewire port.
 
The problem is 6-pin to 4-pin. That's what blows up firewire ports in cameras, and there have been reports of many different brands of cameras having blown firewire ports due to hot-swapping.
 
Ted Spencer said:
Reportedly the front firewire connector of a G5 or newer is non-powered and thus safe for hot plugging, but the back ones aren't.
Click to expand...

All of the firewire ports on G5s, and on all Macintoshes to my knowledge, are 6-pin and are powered.
 
Barry_Green said:
The problem is 6-pin to 4-pin. That's what blows up firewire ports in cameras, and there have been reports of many different brands of cameras having blown firewire ports due to hot-swapping.
Click to expand...

That's what I've been doing for years....no problem
 
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