How to connect FireWire devices to new computers Mac or Windows PC
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- Need to connect a firewire device to Mac or PC?
Most new computers have a USB-C connection. But there is no such adapter that can convert firewire 800 or USB-C. The same is true for the firewire 400.
So to make this connection, you actually need two adapters. You also need a firewire 800 cable. If you are going from Firewire 400, you need a firewire 400 to 800 cable.
Then, you need a firewire to Thunderbolt adapter. Apple sells this cable.
Then you need a thunderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 3 adapter, which works for any computer with USB-C input.
Resources:
You need one of these depending on what your device has. (My Amazon affiliate links)
Firewire 800 to Firewire 800:
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Firewire 400 to Firewire 800:
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Firewire DV to Firewire 800
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Then this dongle
Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt 2
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And finally this dongle
Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3
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For the record, this will not work with "regular" USB-C. It has to be the Thunderbolt variet, (i.e. Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt/USB4 or Thunderbolt 4. Of course, all Macs currently on the market have at least a couple such Thunderbolt ports, but not many Windows PCs do, so check the specs before you buy. Of course, if you have a PC tower with PCI expansion slots of some kind, you can get a PCI FireWire card for one of those slots. I have an M1 MacBook Air, and daisy-chaining the FireWire and Thunderbolt adapters works pretty well for me if I need to archive something from one of my older MiniDV or Digital8 camcorders.
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Absolutely! This is a horribly misleading video. The guy has no clue about the technical details and yet it works in his scenario so he is misleading a ton of people as seen in the comments
I know this is many. months old, but are you saying that if you have a newer MacBook (I have a 2021 Pro with M1 chip) and you buy all these adapters he says to, that it will Not be compatible with the Usb-c ports?
@@betsykirkland418, actually it WILL work. All the Apple Silicon Macs have Thunderbolt ports.
awesome! thanks for the reply.
@@ZakWolf
yikes, since apple discontinued the thunderbolt to firewire adapter, people are selling them for like close to $50 to $100
Now they're all ABOVE $100 and climbing. Guess I'll stick to lossy SVHS output.
I can’t even find a thunderbolt to FireWire cable. I’m in Australia. Any other options? I’m trying to get footage off an old cam corder
@@Melpal22 what’s the make and model of the camcorder
@@DustyOldTapes the window of opportunity is gone. I cant find the 800 to thunderbolt adapter anywhere, except, as you mentioned, eBay for an astronomical price. I went to the Apple store and they sent me to an online store in KENYA, who doesn’t ship to the US. It amazes me that Apple can just drop firewire support given there are many devices out there in the world, that need support.
This video was what I was looking for, simple easy to follow instructions,explanation and images. I have antique Firewire 400 devices, Mini DV camera , DVD player-recorders that hold data I need to archive and convert analog video [Hi8, VHS and Mini DV]to digital files. Some of these tapes-files are 20 years old! Thanks for posting this.
Have you successfully transferred any DV tapes to your computer? Did you use iMovie or another software and get this to work?
8 year old me chckled at time 2:19 when he said "this is your big dongle"
Great video, I appreciate it. I need to get some pieces and work out some connection issues
Thank you for doing this! Slowly and clearly explained, and your close-ups helped immensely in identifying the different plugs and inputs. Now I can move forward to connect Panasonic DVX100-B digital camera from 2009 (with Firewire DV input aka Ieee 1394 input) to 2022 MacBook pro USB-C input.
Have you successfully transferred any DV tapes to your computer? Did you use iMovie or another software and get this to work?
Were you successful?
@Steve Clifton any luck?
@treguard1982 any luck?
@@Tom-uw2ok Sadly no. The unit I tried had an issue with playing the tape, and the fix wouldn't work. I'm going to try and source a battery for the other unit
absolutely perfect for my use case, thank you! luckily i have all the pieces except the last one. So funny to have 3 separate cables to get from Firewire 400 to USB-C!
Just stopping by to say thanks as this does work on my Lenovo P51 running windows. I have a very old M-Audio Profire 2626 firewire audio interface. Sounds ace, but only connects via firewire. Until now! And as we all know most new laptops don't have firewire. I love my Profire, so thanks for hopefully giving me many more happy years with it! Only thing to be careful. Don't restart your laptop whilst the power to Profire is on as it will crash/get stuck booting up. Shut down laptop and then power up and it works fine. Cheers.
Thanks for a comment from the audio world. I am trying to connect an older audio interface myself and we will see if it ends up working.
Did you get your profire working? I have a Profire 610 and it doesn’t support any OSes past, I think Yosemite. Maybe on windows you can get it working
@DaleC1980 yes I got it working on Windows. It doesn't like it though if I restart my computer as the laptop freezes when trying to reboot. But if you do a full power off and then power up again it works fine.
I've been looking for a solution for my 2626 for years… do you have any latency or trouble with it? Or you only have the power On issue? If so, man my life is saved… thanks!
@maxlegault2588 no problems so far other than what I mentioned. No latency issues of note and works just as it did before when connecting back in the day with firewire.. It was a life saver for me and I'm sure it will be for you..
Where to buy apple firewire adapter all sold out on apple
Brilliant, utterly brilliant! I had an old scanner and was trying to figure out the magical formula to connect it to my current 2022 Mac and this is what I needed! As with all other commenters, THANK YOU! (Especially for the Amazon links!)
Wooooow I never knew, I researched this to no end and had no clue you could do it on windows too. Thanks
Only if the ports are Thunderbolt and not just USB-C. The port is the same but the computer has to support the TB protocol as well as USB. Virtually all Macs do, but windows PCs are hit or miss on this.
I found this old HD. I thought I'd save money by using it. I just looked at the prices of the adapters. I think I'll buy a new one. Thanks for informing me.
Thanks a lot. Your patient research and perseverance will help thousands as there are lots of people with old memories captured in camcorders and there is no easy way to get these to the computers or the display devices/TVs. The outcome of your research (I am yet to try) opens up that possibility. Thank you
No, his ignorance of the technology is going to confuse the majority of people who watch this
@@DaleC1980explain
Yeah if I buy any more bloody cables I'll need a divorce.
I have a similar setup and have been running an older Rme audio interface for years now.
I'm still using a RME FireFace 800 on an older Mac Pro. It's still going strong after a good 16 years!! (Did have to replace the internal power supply a while back)
But now thinking of going for a newer Mac (M1 Max Studio or M2 Mac Mini, not sure yet.)
But trying to find the FireWire to TB2 cable is a darn b*tch.... The few I do find are €175/£150....🤨
Hi
Did you end up getting your Fireface 800 up and running this way FW800-thunderbolt-USB? I’m trying to do the same thing.
Thanks
Are there any alternatives for the firewire to thunderbolt adapter now that the product is discontinued? :(
*** UPDATE 10 MINUTES LATER *** I had just posted that this cable combo did not work, I was WRONG. I had the adapters plugged in as demonstrated and nothing. My Macbook Pro has 3 USB-C ports, 2 with monitors and the 3rd was free and the one I used. I don't know WHY I thought to do this before I gave up, but I unplugged the USB-C monitors and JUST plugged in the dongle combo and BAM! IT WORKED. So for whatever reason you do not get life out of the drive, make sure it's the ONLY thing plugged into the computer. The monitors were taking up too much power I suppose. I AM SO HAPPY. Thank you for this video. I am leaving the original post below for reference.
Great video but it did not work for me. I have both Apple adapters and the correct Firewire 400 cable, tried different cables. Nothing. The drive did not even show up on the Mac Disk Utility. I did plug the Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter into my wife's PC, but it's not capable of Thunderbolt. So, I'm still stuck.
This tutorial is a thorough process that is explained slowly and in a simplified way that makes it easy to follow the instructions from start to finish with little understanding of how to connect FireWire devices to new computers, Mac or Windows PC. So, if you want to learn a quick way to do this, then look no further, than this tutorial by Howfinity.
QUESTION .....i have a camcorder and a fire wire cable that fits into camcorder but i cant fit the other side of the fire wire cable into laptop as i only have USB ports on laptop and not fire wire ports , is there any way i can get video off camcorder into premier pro editing software ???????? many thanks ...
I'm assuming the PC needs to have thunderbolt, not simply a USB-C port that is USB only?
Did you ever find out
Did u find this out
Correct. The problem is PC won't use Apple's Thunderbolt.
@@mikeporter6795 You can get thunderbolt on PCs but it is rare. I have seen some Dell laptops with them. Typically higher end systems will have it
Perfect! A bummer how we have to spend $60 on cables for a one-time move of all our old crap from our beloved bulky LaCies onto an SSD. There should be a dongle loaner circle for them 😂
Just updated Mac to Monterey 12.6.3. And now it works fine.
Thank you for such a simple explanation without trying to do flashy stuff lol
help they don't make Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt 2
anymore!!! where can i get one
Great solution. Unfortunately the FW to TB adapter is no longer available unless one doesn't mind spending big bucks on the Bay.
I have a Nikon CoolScan 4000D that uses a firewire 400 cable. How do I use it on a current PC that doesn't have a firewire input? Thank you
Thanks. I have a related question. My harddrive station OWC Qx2 with 4 drives can connect through usb 2.0 but keeps losing the connection. Would that be better via the Firewire option shown here? I have a MacMini 2018.
This is what I just ordered. I knew my new Mac Mini wouldn't connect to the firewire audio interface so these adapters will keep me recording until I can get a new AI.
My understanding is that any gen 12 or above Intel processors no longer support the FW protocol, so even if you have thethe adapters it still won’t work. I haven’t tested this personally, but this has been discussed in other technical forums.
Excellent video - very clear and to the point. I have the adapters and cables but did not know if daisy chaining the Apple adapters would work. I need to help a friend transfer data between a mid-2010 Intel iMac and a 2021 M1 iMac.
Since I will not get a chance to test it until I fly to visit him, this gives me peace of mind that I can pack this combination of adapters and cables and have it work. Thank you. 🙂
Did this end up working out for you?
Can you just rehouse the drive inside? On to a USB3 enclosure?
I rehoused two lacie rugged drives in orico USB3 enclosures when the original boards failed.
I vaguely recall the lacie's had an encryption feature (that I never used) but which might require the original enclosure/board to access the data - so make sure you retrieve your data before discarding any old parts.
@@silverxxvi8193 thanks!
Sadly the apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter is discontinued and near impossible to find secon hand. Do you have any other suggestions?
Cool. I was thinking this would be the way to go when using an older Blu-ray burner with my Mac Studio. Wasn’t an issue with my 2012 Mac mini because it still had FireWire 800 built in. I might have already ordered some of this, time to check my parts.
I have a quick question, I just got a Mac Mini 2023 and need to connect from USB C to Firewire 800, do i use the two adaptors you described? appreciate your help
Yes you would. And it should work for firewire hard drives and anything that doesn't need drivers. Few firewire devices that need drivers will still work on an Apple Silicon Mac but if it will, that is how to do it,
I have an old iMac 2011 Late on which the internal harddrive is not working so I managed to install Monterrey on an external HDD. But since the mac's connection is only USB 2.0 it's pretty laggy. Any idea if I can make it a bit better by getting an external SSD and a USB-c (for the hard drive) to Firewire or thunderbolt 2 adapter ?
Well guys I've done a little different, with a thunderbolt pcie eclousure + firewire pcie board, those apple thunderbolt to usb-c adapters are hard to find nowadays
which enclosure do you use? the one i can find are quite more expensive than the aftermarkt adapters.
Thank you for this video. One clarification, for the portable HDs like the one you first showed with the orange borders, will the setup power the portable drive from the connection or do you need to plug it into a DC connection? One of my drives used to take its power from the Firewire 400 connection and it never came with the DC plug so curious if the setup you describe can also power the HD itself without the need for a separate DC power source. Thanks again.
I have the same question!
Thank you! Such an informative video.. I was wondering: will this reduce the performance when used to connect a FireWire audio interface to a recent Mac with usb c?
Would it work for any device with a firewire connection? e.g. an audio interface. There is no backward compatibility issues for older devices?
Thanks for the video. I may have to check out this solution. I own a Soundcraft Si Mixing Console which has a "Multidigital" installed. This card only allows me to use Firewire 400 for Mac or USB for PC only. What really annoys me is, that the Mac sees the card and I can set it all up to record the multi-channels. But when I try I get very loud digital glitches & pops. So it seems to be Windows PC only for this USB option. Now I can spend 400€ on a new expansion card which would have a Mac compatible USB connection or try the adapter dongle solution. And I know one thing - No more Soundcraft products.
Thank you so much for your research and clear presentation.
Wonderful, in every detail and in every way
I need firewire 400 to Usb-C. Every cable combo I've tried does not work...
Question: Did you try the LaCie Rugged drive as well? Does it require extra power? As far as I know, the expensive Apple TB3 Adapter does not transfer any power. At least, the product page says that the device on the TB3 side has to deliver the power. Confusing and not 100% clear to me. Especially when you want to use it in the other direction: Older iMac TB1/2 -> TB cable -> TB3 Adapter -> TB3 SSD enclosure
Hi, this kind of daisy-chain-solution might be working for external hard drives, but in does NOT work to connect most fire wire-audio interfaces to usb-c.
It depends on what you're connecting your audio interface to.
If you're using this to connect to Thunderbolt 3, then chances are it will work fine (I used this setup for audio interfaces for 7 years with a TB3 equipped machine).
If you're using this to connect to Thunderbolt 4, then it's a crap shoot whether it'll work or not. If you have a desktop, get a Firewire PCIe card instead (that's what I had to do after recently upgrading my desktop).
If you're using this to connect to USB-C, then it's almost guaranteed to not work. USB and Thunderbolt are different protocols, despite using the same type C connector, and this is a Thunderbolt adapter, not a USB adapter. While the new USB4 and TB4 have a _lot_ of intercompatibility, it's not 100% and Firewire/Thunderbolt audio interfaces pretty much never work with USB4.
Daisychain?
The issue with many firewire audio interfaces is that driver support didn’t last for the OSes running on these newer macs. I have a really old one that can’t run past Snow Leopard. So even though I could connect it, it still wouldn’t work
I have all those cables and I did it before but now the computers won't recognize the device. Tried on two computers it showed once to allow permission permission but never again
I have an old intel MacBook (2007) with a Firewire 400 external drive. Wanted to get files from both. The connections all make sense but I'm wondering if I'm missing something? Will there be software issues?
Thanks man, you’re really a hero
Would a Firewire 400 to USB-A cable work? Must it go to the Thunderbolt / USB-C port?
What a wonderful video Sir, was wondering if this same setup could be used on a Tablet?
extraordinary video! you've saved me hundreds of hours of research by creating a simple to understand and very easy to follow! We have been apple fans for 15 years and this helps me connect devices that are two generations old with my latest macintosh computers!
Any other option besides using the FireWire to thunderbolt since it’s hard to find now. I have a jvc camcorder with the DV outlet, a MacBook Pro and a PC desktop
these cables, 800 to TB2, are no longer available ? do you have another solution or product to recommend
really helpful and clear. Thanks mate.
Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt 2. this cable is showing unavailable. Have you any other sources?
I tried this with my HP Envy laptop. Didn’t work. I think you have to have usb c/thunderbolt
The envy has just usb c
Apparently, in another video, the USB C on the PC has to be Thunderbolt compatible, is that the case, or just USB C will suffice?
In other words, Can I use my Apple iMac 27-Inch "Core i5" 2.8 (Mid-2010) with its FireWire 800 port to connect it to and USB C external SSD drive?
Yes, it has to be Thunderbolt. This video should be taken down as it is confusing a lot of people.
Hey there, thanks for the video. I'm struggling to get my hands on a Firewire to Thunderbolt adapter. Would it work if I got a Firewire to USB, then used a USB to Thunderbolt? Cheers
As of March 30 2023 the Amazon link for the Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire adaptor shows that the item is unavailable with the comment that says they don't know when it will be in stock. Is there, perhaps, another source for that dongle?
Ebay or the Apple store
That firewire to thunderbolt 2 is so hard to find now, I’ve been looking for a long time and can’t buy one
Great video, thanks for sharing! I have a question. Have you tried this in windows 11 and/or thunderbolt 4? I tried this in a 2022 XPS 17, and the thunderbolt 3 to thunderbolt 2 adapter is not recognized. I'm so frustrated because I thought it would work and it was a big factor in my decision to buy it...
Thunderbolt 4 is NOT backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 2. This applies to newer intel chips (12th and 13th generation) used since about 2020 and apparently was because of a vulnerability with Thunderbolt 2. I haven’t seen a workaround for this. New Apple computers no longer have Intel processors and still enable this backward compatibility.
does this work to hook up an old sony cam for video?
apple no longer has the firewire adapter to thunderbolt. resorting to eBay.. $120?
I have a audio device Impact Twin from TC Electronics and mac new mac mini doesn't recognize it with this two adapters. I don't know what can I do more! :(
Hello I have. Done it. But I have my Ventura iMac. Any help? It does not work and recognize the thunderbolt cable, it is what fist alert I got
does it actually work? Why not just make a cable that has those ends?
im still confused. I want firewire dv to usb-c. like u said there isn't one. the cable I got for my Sony is firewire dv to firewire 400. I can see there's a firewire dv to usb A and would need a usb A to usb C adaptor. is the quality good and the best? I have old Sony mini dv camcorder and tapes and newest MacBook Pro. please help if u can.
Can an iPhone with Lightning connector work with a FireWire drive?
Hi, great tip !! I use on Windows 7 and 10 on my two PCs a Focusrite Liquid Mix 32 on Firewire 400 port (one unit for every pc at time). About its power supply it can use the voltage by the cable or by its external power supply. Do you know it this device can workwithout latency/stability/sync issues ? Have a nice day
There will definitely be an increase in latency doing this. I can't imagine running my MOTU 828s through this . Bad idea.
I have a Firewire 400 Audio Interface that connect via Firewire 400 to 800 cable to Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter on an older laptop. Works fine with Firewire 800 or thunderbolt 2 adapter; but when I connect the thunderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 3, it DOESN'T work on my newer Windows laptop. I have the drivers. Its an Acer Predator Helios 300.
Do you really have thunderbolt 3 on your laptop?
Thanks for this video. Would a older 2008 Drobo mount on a new Mac Mini using these adapters?
Thank you, i have a firewire 500 to USB3 convert but i cant to conect and recignise in my laptop win, for use protools, what could i do?
I have another question if your doing this method and your mac has no usbc inputs and only has regular usb and i use a usbc to usb adapter?
What adaptors would I need to connect a FireWire 400 to a Lightning connection? How many would I have to daisy chain together to make that work? Thank you!!
Unfortunately my computer is not able to detect FireWire devices. I have a mini dv camera and I bought everything and tried. And this happened both on my 2019 MacBook Pro and my Mac mini
Thank you so much for this fix...
I need to access a hard drive which needs a 1394 six-pin (male) cable. I have found one online, with 1394 six-pin at one end and USB 2.0 at the other end. I don't have any of the dongles you mentioned. With the right driver will my windows 10 pc run the hard drive, or do I need some kind of dongle to convert the protocols from firewire to USB. My PC has USB 3.1. Any advice gratefully received.
Cool! How about fireware sound cards?
Thanks. You showed me I was on the right track, unfortunately, my Acer nito 5 (thunderbolt/usb4) isn't doing it. I tried to plug a thunderbolt sonnet expresscard adapter, and two firewire focusrite saffires, and they stopped the thunderbolt port. I then tried just the apple thunderbolt 2 to 3 adapter (and the same startech adapter) on the port alone (without any devices attached to the adapter), and sure enough, they alone stopped the port (code 43). Any ideas on working this issue out?
Great … found the Apple FireWire 800 -> Thunderbolt adapter
Can I use a six pin FireWire dv to usb 2.0
Wow genius 🙈🙈🙈 thank you 🙏🏼
my mac dosent have firewire ports wath can I do
It seems like they don't make the Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt 2 cable anymore. Could I use a Firewire 800 to Thunderbolt 3 or is there another cable that I need?
Ashley, I just purchased on on Ebay. It came from Japan and took two weeks. Now I have all three cables like this video shows, BUT, my MBP M1 is not recognizing the drive. Bummer, but I do have the Apple cables as listed. Let me know how it goes.
I had just posted that this cable combo did not work, I was WRONG. I had the adapters plugged in as demonstrated and nothing. My Macbook Pro has 3 USB-C ports, 2 with monitors and the 3rd was free and the one I used. I don't know WHY I thought to do this before I gave up, but I unplugged the USB-C monitors and JUST plugged in the dongle combo and BAM! IT WORKED. So for whatever reason you do not get life out of the drive, make sure it's the ONLY thing plugged into the computer. The monitors were taking up too much power I suppose. I AM SO HAPPY.
@@franklozano that's excellent news!!
What about usb a male connector of a camcorder to the dvd/ilink? in on a dvd recorder?
Hi, thanks for the vid, do you know by any chance if the dongles work together with Ventura?
So if I hook all this up from my DV camera will my video editing software really recognise the connection to the camera and allow me to capture video?
I can’t seem to find firewire 800 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter, seems unavailable or discontinued everywhere. Any other way around it?
I don't know if it's because of the popularity of this video, but I bought the last one in a Apple products store in Montreal yesterday (2023-12-21). On Amazon, the product seems to be unavailable since the second week of December. And on the Apple website, the product is not even in the products list anymore.
@@huguessaintlouis7976old videocams are becoming popular
I don't know if this will work for me but this was a well put together video, thank you.
Not found Lenovo i 5 PRO not support thunderbolt 3.
do you know if.a firewire 400 to usb works also if the plug im starting with is fire wire 400 all the way through?
firewire direct to thunderbolt 3 it´s possible ?
thanks !
Thanks - very useful video.
Are there any pin to pin scheme for firewire 400 to 800 adapter? Where to connect 5 and 9 pin?
I don't find in your links Pc models, only for Apple... any tips ?
Is it working also on the new M2 - Ventura?
I need to connect FireWire 800 from RME Fireface 802 to USB-C MacBook Pro 14“ 2023
I tried 3rd party adapter USB-C to Mini DV / thunderbolt 2 to FireWire 800 and it does not work
I would like to connect my Canon ZR300 to my tv, is there adapter to HDMI instead USB-C???
Hi ! Will the first dongle work with my 2011 iMac which has thunderbolt 1 ?
I have a DAT Sony PCM-1 audio recorder with a S/pdif out. I used to use a S/PDIF - > Firewire that plugged into my old PC that did a direct transfer of the music data to a sound processing program. Of course new computers don't have a firewire port. Can you help me discover what will work in transferring the audio data to a USB port in my PC? Thanks.
Good morning. How to make a thunderbolt 4 (PC) to firewire 400 (sound card) adapter?
Unfortunately this didn't work for me. MacOS 14 won't acknowledge Facusrite Saffire Pro 40.
Hello, I have a saffire pro 40, can you tell me if it's work with MacOs13 ??? If yes I will do not the uptade !! thank you !!!
@@laurenceflorian8791 no, the Focusrite firewire audio interfaces will not work. If you contact Focusrite, they will offer a trade-in program for your old interface with 25% off towards your nrew interface purchase. I had to by the 3rd gen Scarlett.
@@laurenceflorian8791 Did not work with my MacOs 13.6.3 (22G436) :(