FireWire Port Burn Out
 

How do you guys handle the risk of the firewire port burning out if you plug the camera into a computer that is already on? Do you just not do it? This is causing a problem for me, as having to shutdown a computer every time I want to connect a camera is a royal pain and interferes with editing projects. Is there another way? Perhaps with just the camera off until you have it plugged in?

Thank you, as always, for your help.

You can get a little 6" firewire that kills the current passing through the wire.

They're about $5.

Are you on a Mac? They seem to be more prone to blowing up firewire boards. And you don't want to go there unless you've got $1400 sitting around and nothing to spend it on...

Have you read through this thread?

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=64873

Yes, I'm using a mac primarily. I'm reading the post Chris recomended and that has a lot of useful information. Does a port isolator really work?

I just finished reading the thread and it seems the really only full proof method is to turn the camera and computer off. Does it matter in which order you turn them on then?

This is fairly stupid of JVC I think, and perhaps of firewire in general. What a pain! Especially those that edit in Vegas, having to load up an entire PC each time you want to connect a camera? If it is an editing place, that could be a real problems for people coming in with extra footage while editing existing stuff.

Jason, as was mentioned in the other thread, this isn't just a JVC problem and it seems to be more with the Macs/FCP crowd but not exclusivly.

I got 2 of these from Firewire Depot. one is on the computer and one is attached to the cable connection my 200 to the Dr-hd100 drive

http://fwdepot.com/thestore/product_...roducts_id/356

I know, this is just a bit nerveracking and rather time consuing. Thank you for the link, I'm going to order a couple of them. I think I will just continue to turn the machine off. Perhaps I'll use a machine just for transfer and then move the files over. It will take a while, but at least I can keep working.

The 4 pin wire wire cable, does this suffer from it as well? The other posting seemed ambiguous about it.

Has anyone every cooked a firewire board on the JVC from a pc? Maybe it's solely a Mac thing.

Jason, I feel your pain. I was very reluctant to accept the reality of the situation for a long time and kept taking risks until a friend of mine burnt out TWO cameras (well actually editors did it for him!). $2000 later.

So I just have bitten the bullet and turn off everything first as well as using the port isolator which is just such great insurance.

I believe (though I am not sure) that the reason you cannot just rely upon the port isolator is that you still have the problem of static electricity to deal with you even if you eliminate the danger of a charge from the firewire port. It only takes a tiny variation in voltage to blow the port.

Rob

I too have 2 burned out camera ports which I cant afford to fix. I think the reason its happing alot now is because theres alot of guys who dont buy decks like the old days. I used to have a AJ-D230H which I never disconnected to hooking it up wrong was never a possiblity. Now there are more guys using there cameras as decks. I personally will probably never get my cameras fixed im going to ride them out and in a few years replace them with some sort of solid state internal recording. Firewire on these JVCs is way too flimsy for professional (run and gun) work.

Hi Randy,

Yes, I bought a DRHD100 as a solution. Sadly I soon regretted it as it was defective and has been back to JVC for repair for longer than I owned it. In a way this is not a real solution as it just transfers the problem to the firewire connection on the DRHD100.

Agreed that firewire does not seem suitable for professional applications.

Rob

ya know JVC SHOULD cut us a break on the repairs or AT LEAST provide tech info so we can take our cameras elsewhere for repair.

Hello
is'nt just as easy to connect your DR HD100/COMPUTER to your camera with the power off on both, then power up both. i have a GY hd 110 and a DR HD 100 plus i use firewire port isolators on the computer firewire cable and the cable going from the 110 to the dr 100

these camera's cost enough without blowing the F/W PORT
I know when i had my SONY FX1 never worried about the F/W PORT it was a 4 pin

PS not trying to be a smart ass
thanks
Joe

I'm curious, if you connected the camera to an Apple cinema display with firewire, when both monitor and camera were off, then turned them on at the same time would there still be a problem? Essentially, turn the monitor off without turning the computer off?