Metric Halo 2882 operating guide - Manual (Page 25)

Mobile I/O User’s Guide
17
and for Apple itself. On that basis they opened their technology for standard-
ization under the auspices of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engi-
neers, Inc. (IEEE), an international organization that promotes standards in
the field of electronics. FireWire was standardized as IEEE 1394 and pro-
moted for open licensing in the industry.
The first widespread adoption of the technology was for DV camcorders
where space was at a premium and bus powering was not percieved as a
real issue since all camcorders have batteries. Sony designed an alternative
version of the standard 6-pin FireWire connector that provided 1394-based
communication with 4-pins in a much smaller form-factor. This version of
the connector sacrificed bus-power support and mechanical stability for
reduced space requirements. Sony dubbed this version of IEEE1394
“i.Link®.” This became the de facto standard in the DV world, and was later
added to the IEEE 1394 standard. Both i.Link and FireWire refer to the same
underlying standard and are completely interoperable. Obviously, i.Link
connectors and FireWire connectors cannot be used together without adapt-
ers.
Mobile I/O uses the FireWire flavor of the IEEE1394 connector with 6-pins
for bus power support. The unit ships with two 6-pin to 6-pin FireWire
cables, one that is 0.5 meters long (about 18 inches), and the other 4.5m
(about 14.5 feet) long. If you want to use Mobile I/O with a 4-pin FireWire
device, you will need to purchase a 6-pin to 4-pin adapter cable. These
cables are available from a wide variety of retail sources. If you are using a
4-pin cable to connect any device to the computer with Mobile I/O, bus
power will not be available.
The 6-pin FireWire connector is polarized by its shape, one end of the con-
nector is pointed. The FireWire ports on Mobile I/O point downwards
toward the bottom of the box. It will be very difficult to insert the connector
upside down, but it is possible if you force it. If the plug is inserted into the
socket upside down, the socket will be destroyed. NEVER FORCE A
FIREWIRE CONNECTOR INTO A FIREWIRE SOCKET.