FireWire failure follow-up: Replacement power cords?
FireWire failure follow-up: Replacement power cords?
Yesterday's report on troubleshooting FireWire failure problems generated some interesting feedback. Most readers concur that cheap cables are a culprit in port failure, while others noted that having too many bus-powered devices was the problem trigger.
In at least some readers' cases, the Mac's own power cable has caused problems with FireWire devices. Jason Diefenbacher writes:
"I have a G4/733, with a bus powered firewire drive (2.5") that would spin up but not mount. Also, a FireWire connected camera and DV recorder were not recognized by the machine. After dragging the machine into the local Apple store, I was told that everything worked fine. Brought it back and no such luck. On second trip to Apple store, I brought all my peripherals with me and they all worked. Upon return to the university, again-failure.
"We began swapping out components to see if something external device was causing the problem. Finally, we were left with only one of the original components - the power cable. With nothing left to lose, we swapped that and the machine immediately recognized all firewire devices. This was one of the original Apple power cords with the light grey cable and clear plastic ends. I've tested this cable with a meter and cannot find a single problem with it (no shorts, resistance of less than 1 ohm). Once a replacement cable was employed, I've never had a problem and I have tossed that cable on a shelf."
If you are having FireWire problems, try switching your Mac's power supply cable and let us know your results.Resources