Troubleshooting the iSight: Moving to another FireWire bridge to eliminate interference

Last week we noted problems with the iSight interfering with the operation of other FireWire devices. One of the devices most susceptible to this problem is the iPod. For some users, when the iSight is connected and capturing video, their iPod disappears from the Desktop and from the iTunes playlist, while the iPod status screen cycles from the Apple logo to a "Do not Disconnect" message over and over.

MacFixIt reader Cathy Rudolph offers the suggestion of adding a new FireWire interface PCI card and connecting the iSight to its own separate bridge.

"I experienced interference problems with the iSight and an Ecrix tape drive. The solution I came up with was to add a PCI FW card (Adaptec) to my G4 533 DP so that the tape drive is on a separate bank of FireWire ports. Now I can use my tape drive and have the iSight plugged in all the time."

"While this doesn't answer the question of why there's an incompatibility between the tape drive and the iSight, it does allow me to have all the devices plugged in and ready to use, and will minimize the wear and tear on the FW connectors and cables."

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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