Firewire cable length

Steve Witt · April 13th, 2006, 08:50 PM

Boy, it'll be neat the day they come out with a "wireless" FireWire. Just a little transmitter plug with the correct amount of pins and a receiver with pins but no wire in between. Maybe BlueTooth will come out with something like this some day. What do you all think? Could it ever be possible for digital video?

Karl Soule · April 15th, 2006, 12:08 PM

In 2002, there were a number of announcements about a "Wireless FireWire" protocol but nothing ever came of it. I keep looking....

Steve Witt · April 16th, 2006, 09:43 AM

here is an article that is about two years old on the subjuct of Wireless Firewires development. Must not be going too well as of yet.

http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20040511S0001

Ian Stark · April 18th, 2006, 07:59 AM

OK, thought I'd report back!

I used DV Rack on the shoot but never got the opportunity to try out the 10m length with the adaptors!! Instead I was stuck in a tiny room with a 3m length with 4 pins on both ends.

So, can't report back on how usable the 10m cable + 6 to 4 pin adaptors was, sorry! I can confirm that it DOES work, though and I have since tried it in a number of environments, including near radio equipment and other electronics. No probs.

Still haven't found a UK supplier that can offer greater than 3 or 5 m lengths with 4 pins at both ends.

The usability experience was enough to make me go ahead and buy DV Rack, which I did from a US based eBay shop at a total cost of around £160 including FedEx delivery - a lot cheaper than list.

Jon Pavli · November 5th, 2006, 12:09 PM

I just have to add that I appreciate all this information...especially since you guys took the time to report back to the forum about your successes!

Cheers, Jon

Anton Dembowski · November 12th, 2006, 09:25 AM

We've had great success with Laird's 30' cable. They have different options with 4 and 6 pin. Not sure about UK suppliers.
The flimsy 4 pin is a bit of an issue. The upshot is that it disconnects more easily than the 6 pin in case someone trips on the cable, which could easily result in a tethered camera coming crashing to the ground. The downside is that the weight of the cable itself is too much over time for the flimsy connector. The cable sags and then eventually the adapter breaks apart. Our workaround was to wrap a loop of the cable around the battery, which takes the weight off the adapter. This of course negates the "easy disconnect" benefit of the 4 pin in the first place.

April 13th, 2006, 08:50 PM	#16
Steve Witt Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: kentucky, USA Posts: 429	Wireless Boy, it'll be neat the day they come out with a "wireless" FireWire. Just a little transmitter plug with the correct amount of pins and a receiver with pins but no wire in between. Maybe BlueTooth will come out with something like this some day. What do you all think? Could it ever be possible for digital video?

April 15th, 2006, 12:08 PM	#17
Karl Soule Serious Magic Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Folsom, CA Posts: 106	In 2002, there were a number of announcements about a "Wireless FireWire" protocol but nothing ever came of it. I keep looking.... __________________ Karl Soule' Product Marketing Manager, Serious Magic Professional Products Group. ksoule@seriousmagic.com

April 18th, 2006, 07:59 AM	#19
Ian Stark Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,237	OK, thought I'd report back! I used DV Rack on the shoot but never got the opportunity to try out the 10m length with the adaptors!! Instead I was stuck in a tiny room with a 3m length with 4 pins on both ends. So, can't report back on how usable the 10m cable + 6 to 4 pin adaptors was, sorry! I can confirm that it DOES work, though and I have since tried it in a number of environments, including near radio equipment and other electronics. No probs. Still haven't found a UK supplier that can offer greater than 3 or 5 m lengths with 4 pins at both ends. The usability experience was enough to make me go ahead and buy DV Rack, which I did from a US based eBay shop at a total cost of around £160 including FedEx delivery - a lot cheaper than list. __________________ www.vit-media.com www.classicmachinefilms.co.uk

November 12th, 2006, 09:25 AM	#21
Anton Dembowski New Boot Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 13	Laird We've had great success with Laird's 30' cable. They have different options with 4 and 6 pin. Not sure about UK suppliers. The flimsy 4 pin is a bit of an issue. The upshot is that it disconnects more easily than the 6 pin in case someone trips on the cable, which could easily result in a tethered camera coming crashing to the ground. The downside is that the weight of the cable itself is too much over time for the flimsy connector. The cable sags and then eventually the adapter breaks apart. Our workaround was to wrap a loop of the cable around the battery, which takes the weight off the adapter. This of course negates the "easy disconnect" benefit of the 4 pin in the first place.

April 16th, 2006, 09:43 AM	#18
Steve Witt Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: kentucky, USA Posts: 429	here is an article that is about two years old on the subjuct of Wireless Firewires development. Must not be going too well as of yet. http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20040511S0001

November 5th, 2006, 12:09 PM	#20
Jon Pavli Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Washington, USA Posts: 81	I just have to add that I appreciate all this information...especially since you guys took the time to report back to the forum about your successes! Cheers, Jon