FireWire The Interface of the Future

Introduction FireWire is a way to connect different pieces of equipment so they can easily and quickly share information. The creators of FireWire had particular goals in mind when they created a standard: Fast transfer of data from one place to another The ability to put a lot of device on the bus Easy to use Hot-pluggable ability Provision of power the a cable Have a plug-and-play performance Cheap cabling cost Cheap implementation cost

How Does It Work? FireWire is a method of transferring data from one device to another, especially audio and video equipment, known as IEEE 1394 Fast: Latest version can go up to 800 mbps Can connect up to 63 devices Enumeration- process in which the computer queries all of the devices connected to the bus and assigns each one an address when it powers up. Is plug-and-play, and are hot pluggable, which means they can freely connect and disconnect any time.

History of FireWire Original FireWire 400 (1394a) allowed speeds up to 400 Mbps, and can stretch up to 4.5 meters (cable length) between devices. In 2002, FireWire 800 (1394b) showed up. It allowed transfer rates up to 800 Mbps, and can stretch up to 100 meter of cable length. It is backward-compatible with 1394a.

3 Types of FireWire Cables 6-pin-configuration (FireWire 400)  2 large pin supply power, 2 twisted pair sets carry data. 4-pin-configuration (FireWire 400)  omits the power supply pins to save space. 9-pin-configuration (FireWire 800)  6 pins are the same as FireWire pins provide protection from interference of the other wires, last pin does nothing at this time.

Future of FireWire? iPod connectors may advance from the FireWire 400 to FireWire 800. Eventually something will replace FireWire 800 ( Mbits/s). eSata is the fastest protocol for storage devices (2400 Mbits/s), and the Ultra-640 SCSI is even faster (5120 Mbits/s) FireWire will see a decline starting in 2009.