Idiot's guide to Macintel computers; rumor ... ... Just for those concerned:Although having a firewire port that would power up devices would be nice this can ...

moidock · 01-20-2006, 11:29 AM

Just for those concerned:

Although having a firewire port that would power up devices would be nice this cannot be done on mobile systems for two reasons:

1- Battery life: having the computer power up an external device on battery life will definitely reduce battery life as it will have to power up the device along with the rest of the components of the system.

2- Firewire device power requirements: current motherboards on mobile systems are only able to provide power for devices that consume little power (for example the USB port: flash drives, floppy drives and such), however, depending on the power requirements for a firewire device it may require more power than the motherboard and AC adapter can supply which may end up burning out the motherboard or the AC adapter.

Andy · 01-20-2006, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moidock

Just for those concerned:

Although having a firewire port that would power up devices would be nice this cannot be done on mobile systems for two reasons:

1- Battery life: having the computer power up an external device on battery life will definitely reduce battery life as it will have to power up the device along with the rest of the components of the system.

2- Firewire device power requirements: current motherboards on mobile systems are only able to provide power for devices that consume little power (for example the USB port: flash drives, floppy drives and such), however, depending on the power requirements for a firewire device it may require more power than the motherboard and AC adapter can supply which may end up burning out the motherboard or the AC adapter.

Huh?

Funny, every mac portable I own has a powered firewire port.

triadone · 01-20-2006, 08:37 PM

actually a six pin FW can power 2.5" HDDs, external notebook optical drives, and there are even a few enclosures which are supposed to power 3.5" drives off the single cable as well.

that's my next purchase consideration. it'd be sweet to have 250GB+ onhand in a 3.5" enclosure. i wouldn't take it w/ me everywhere, but having it FW powered would make portability that much easier when i need it.

Kakaze · 01-20-2006, 10:22 PM

I don't know of any enclosures that can power a desktop harddrive off of firewire. I don't think Firewire specs carry enough power to do that.

eskimo_socks · 01-21-2006, 02:58 AM

It dosen't, ditto USB - I think they can both power laptop hard drives, mice and other peripherals.

The main advantage of a Firewire 800 port is that with an adaptor you can plug two firewire 400 devices into it.

triadone · 01-21-2006, 03:43 AM

hmm, looks like u need 2 FW cables to make it go...kinda like USB w/ the 2.5" drives...

http://www.wiebetech.com/products/ultragbplus.php

then again the review makes it sound as if one will do for basic needs...

http://www.maccompanion.com/archives...re/UltraGB.htm

Seablade · 01-21-2006, 12:20 PM

The firewire SPECS actually spec a large amount of power to power external devices(I believe 15 Watts) so it is more than possible to bus power a HD.

There was a nice thread on SOS some time ago about this that I participated in, Mac only specs their interfaces on their powerbooks to 7 Watts though I believe, they arent fully compliant, but still pwoerful enough for most uses.

Seablade

Seablade · 01-21-2006, 12:21 PM

Moidock I would suggest you search on the SOS forums for the bus powered firewire device thread. It will answer a lot of your misconceptions.

Seablade

Kakaze · 01-21-2006, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by triadone

hmm, looks like u need 2 FW cables to make it go...kinda like USB w/ the 2.5" drives...

http://www.wiebetech.com/products/ultragbplus.php

then again the review makes it sound as if one will do for basic needs...

http://www.maccompanion.com/archives...re/UltraGB.htm

Huh...makes me wonder why no one's come up with this before now.

triadone · 01-21-2006, 05:25 PM

Info for the 15" PB

yeh,looks like it's split, but i'm curious if one port can deliver the whole power amount if only one device is attached?

looks like the iBook is limited to the 7 watts for the one port however...

Seablade · 01-21-2006, 05:31 PM

If you look farther down the page it says that each port can provide up to 7 watts individually. So I would lean towards no.

Seablade

triadone · 01-21-2006, 05:39 PM

ah, good eye

Seablade · 01-21-2006, 06:49 PM

Well that and the thread I mentioned above on the SOS forums involved myself and a few other people that know their way around computers where we were trying to determine why PC manufacturers hadnt learned to put in powered firewire on their laptops, and ways around it. It really is a good read for those interested in audio. But at any rate that exact point was brought up.

Seablade

moidock · 01-22-2006, 07:07 PM

Thx for the suggestion I will read that just in case

. Nevertheless, one part what I wrote was:

"However, DEPENDING on the power requirements for a firewire device it may require more power than the motherboard and AC adapter can supply which may end up burning out the motherboard or the AC adapter."

Some small devices can be powered up like small 2.5" hard drives, but it may not take devices that require more power than what the PB may output.

Seablade · 01-22-2006, 07:56 PM

Actually taking a quick look around via google at a couple of desktop drives, it seems most draw around 10W of power when in use, so the Firewire spec could very well provide that. However as we established the PB doesnt fully comply with the spec. Also it would require internal conversion of power on the part of the HD.

As I said the Firewire spec is designed to provide a fair amount of power, it could power a full desktop HD if people designed them to do it, and if it was fully compliant. ATM it is two big IFs though.

Seablade

01-20-2006, 11:29 AM	#16
moidock GAAAAARG!!!!! Join Date: May 2005 Location: GAAAGAAAARHHHGGG!!!! Posts: 14,110 Credits: 9,683	Just for those concerned: Although having a firewire port that would power up devices would be nice this cannot be done on mobile systems for two reasons: 1- Battery life: having the computer power up an external device on battery life will definitely reduce battery life as it will have to power up the device along with the rest of the components of the system. 2- Firewire device power requirements: current motherboards on mobile systems are only able to provide power for devices that consume little power (for example the USB port: flash drives, floppy drives and such), however, depending on the power requirements for a firewire device it may require more power than the motherboard and AC adapter can supply which may end up burning out the motherboard or the AC adapter. __________________ - Ruler of The Ninja Pirate Pink Bunny Empire - Member of the American Society of Sardonists, Egotists and Sophists (A.S.S.E.S.) - Member of the American Schmuck Society (A.S.S.) - Too lazy to edit his sig Last edited by moidock; 01-20-2006 at 11:38 AM.

01-20-2006, 08:37 PM	#18
triadone Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 1,761 Reviews: 1 Credits: 334	actually a six pin FW can power 2.5" HDDs, external notebook optical drives, and there are even a few enclosures which are supposed to power 3.5" drives off the single cable as well. that's my next purchase consideration. it'd be sweet to have 250GB+ onhand in a 3.5" enclosure. i wouldn't take it w/ me everywhere, but having it FW powered would make portability that much easier when i need it. __________________ Laptops: Apple iBook G4 1.2Ghz 12.1" LCD 1024x768 Radeon 9200 32MB 1.25GB RAM 60GB 7200rpm Hitachi 7k60 MacBook: White OS X Leopard 2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo 4GB RAM 500GB Seagate 5400rpm Intel GMA x3100 Desktop: Homebrewed Dual Boot: - WinXP Pro - Vista Ultimate Athlon 64 4000+ Radeon 9800xt 256MB MSI nVidia nForce 410 1.5GB DDR 400 RAM Dual Channel Seagate 160GB 8MB cache WD 1600JB 160GB 8MB cache Maxtor Maxline III 250GB 16MB cache Pioneer DVR-108 Last edited by triadone; 01-20-2006 at 08:39 PM.

01-20-2006, 10:22 PM	#19
Kakaze ******* Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Orlando, Fl Posts: 3,303 Credits:** 5,070	I don't know of any enclosures that can power a desktop harddrive off of firewire. I don't think Firewire specs carry enough power to do that. __________________ Cogito ergo es...I think therefore you is!--solipsism is great, isn't it? 17 inch PowerBook: 1.5 GHz G4, 512 RAM, Radeon 9700@128, 80 GB 5400 RPM HD

01-21-2006, 02:58 AM	#20
eskimo_socks Registered User Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 834 Credits: -130	It dosen't, ditto USB - I think they can both power laptop hard drives, mice and other peripherals. The main advantage of a Firewire 800 port is that with an adaptor you can plug two firewire 400 devices into it. __________________ Everything on a computer can be solved by hitting Ctrl Alt Del - Or bashing it Dell 2405 fund currently at - $0 - spent on xmas pressies

01-21-2006, 03:43 AM	#21
triadone Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 1,761 Reviews: 1 Credits: 334	hmm, looks like u need 2 FW cables to make it go...kinda like USB w/ the 2.5" drives... http://www.wiebetech.com/products/ultragbplus.php then again the review makes it sound as if one will do for basic needs... http://www.maccompanion.com/archives...re/UltraGB.htm __________________ Laptops: Apple iBook G4 1.2Ghz 12.1" LCD 1024x768 Radeon 9200 32MB 1.25GB RAM 60GB 7200rpm Hitachi 7k60 MacBook: White OS X Leopard 2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo 4GB RAM 500GB Seagate 5400rpm Intel GMA x3100 Desktop: Homebrewed Dual Boot: - WinXP Pro - Vista Ultimate Athlon 64 4000+ Radeon 9800xt 256MB MSI nVidia nForce 410 1.5GB DDR 400 RAM Dual Channel Seagate 160GB 8MB cache WD 1600JB 160GB 8MB cache Maxtor Maxline III 250GB 16MB cache Pioneer DVR-108 Last edited by triadone; 01-21-2006 at 03:53 AM.

Notebooks For Sale

User Links

Latest Pricing

Top Posters

Todays Top Posters

Fastest Benchmarks

Latest Benchmarks

01-21-2006, 12:20 PM	#22
Seablade Dont Ask Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Somewhere in the US Posts: 3,647 Credits: 52,609	The firewire SPECS actually spec a large amount of power to power external devices(I believe 15 Watts) so it is more than possible to bus power a HD. There was a nice thread on SOS some time ago about this that I participated in, Mac only specs their interfaces on their powerbooks to 7 Watts though I believe, they arent fully compliant, but still pwoerful enough for most uses. Seablade

01-21-2006, 12:21 PM	#23
Seablade Dont Ask Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Somewhere in the US Posts: 3,647 Credits: 52,609	Moidock I would suggest you search on the SOS forums for the bus powered firewire device thread. It will answer a lot of your misconceptions. Seablade

01-21-2006, 05:25 PM	#25
triadone Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 1,761 Reviews: 1 Credits: 334	Info for the 15" PB yeh,looks like it's split, but i'm curious if one port can deliver the whole power amount if only one device is attached? looks like the iBook is limited to the 7 watts for the one port however... __________________ Laptops: Apple iBook G4 1.2Ghz 12.1" LCD 1024x768 Radeon 9200 32MB 1.25GB RAM 60GB 7200rpm Hitachi 7k60 MacBook: White OS X Leopard 2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo 4GB RAM 500GB Seagate 5400rpm Intel GMA x3100 Desktop: Homebrewed Dual Boot: - WinXP Pro - Vista Ultimate Athlon 64 4000+ Radeon 9800xt 256MB MSI nVidia nForce 410 1.5GB DDR 400 RAM Dual Channel Seagate 160GB 8MB cache WD 1600JB 160GB 8MB cache Maxtor Maxline III 250GB 16MB cache Pioneer DVR-108 Last edited by triadone; 01-21-2006 at 05:32 PM.

01-21-2006, 05:31 PM	#26
Seablade Dont Ask Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Somewhere in the US Posts: 3,647 Credits: 52,609	If you look farther down the page it says that each port can provide up to 7 watts individually. So I would lean towards no. Seablade

01-21-2006, 05:39 PM	#27
triadone Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 1,761 Reviews: 1 Credits: 334	ah, good eye __________________ Laptops: Apple iBook G4 1.2Ghz 12.1" LCD 1024x768 Radeon 9200 32MB 1.25GB RAM 60GB 7200rpm Hitachi 7k60 MacBook: White OS X Leopard 2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo 4GB RAM 500GB Seagate 5400rpm Intel GMA x3100 Desktop: Homebrewed Dual Boot: - WinXP Pro - Vista Ultimate Athlon 64 4000+ Radeon 9800xt 256MB MSI nVidia nForce 410 1.5GB DDR 400 RAM Dual Channel Seagate 160GB 8MB cache WD 1600JB 160GB 8MB cache Maxtor Maxline III 250GB 16MB cache Pioneer DVR-108

01-21-2006, 06:49 PM	#28
Seablade Dont Ask Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Somewhere in the US Posts: 3,647 Credits: 52,609	Well that and the thread I mentioned above on the SOS forums involved myself and a few other people that know their way around computers where we were trying to determine why PC manufacturers hadnt learned to put in powered firewire on their laptops, and ways around it. It really is a good read for those interested in audio. But at any rate that exact point was brought up. Seablade

01-22-2006, 07:07 PM	#29
moidock GAAAAARG!!!!! Join Date: May 2005 Location: GAAAGAAAARHHHGGG!!!! Posts: 14,110 Credits: 9,683	Thx for the suggestion I will read that just in case . Nevertheless, one part what I wrote was: "However, DEPENDING on the power requirements for a firewire device it may require more power than the motherboard and AC adapter can supply which may end up burning out the motherboard or the AC adapter." Some small devices can be powered up like small 2.5" hard drives, but it may not take devices that require more power than what the PB may output. __________________ - Ruler of The Ninja Pirate Pink Bunny Empire - Member of the American Society of Sardonists, Egotists and Sophists (A.S.S.E.S.) - Member of the American Schmuck Society (A.S.S.) - Too lazy to edit his sig

01-22-2006, 07:56 PM	#30
Seablade Dont Ask Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Somewhere in the US Posts: 3,647 Credits: 52,609	Actually taking a quick look around via google at a couple of desktop drives, it seems most draw around 10W of power when in use, so the Firewire spec could very well provide that. However as we established the PB doesnt fully comply with the spec. Also it would require internal conversion of power on the part of the HD. As I said the Firewire spec is designed to provide a fair amount of power, it could power a full desktop HD if people designed them to do it, and if it was fully compliant. ATM it is two big IFs though. Seablade

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
MacIntel	benjamonous	Apple Notebooks	4	02-10-2006 06:51 AM
Activist Guide to Minimize the Impact of Computers and Reform the Industry	amosbatto	Notebook Forums - General	1	01-19-2006 07:20 AM
Request: Idiot's guide to 9300 screen	Spaceman Spiff	Dell Home (Inspiron, XPS, Studio)	6	01-15-2006 02:46 PM
PC Users: Will you consider a MacIntel laptop?	kofkf	Notebook Forums - General	63	12-04-2005 11:12 AM
Needed: Idiot's Guide To Installing XP64	RyoWo	Sager & Clevo Notebooks	3	07-08-2005 07:29 PM