Difference between Firewire Cable IEEE 1394-Firewire IEEE 1394a-IEEE 1394b

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Difference between Firewire Cable IEEE 1394-Firewire IEEE 1394a-IEEE 1394b

I want to buy a 6 ft firewire cable 800 9-pin/9-pin to connect my Macbook Pro to an extrernal HD (G-Technology mini 500 GB)
I'm not sure what all the different IEEE #'s mean- IEEE 1394, IEEE 1394a, IEEE 1394b
Various reviews state not to buy cable that is all plastic at end since it breaks off. Some cables do not make good connection and fall out while others malfunction quickly.

I have MacBook Pro(13 inch), Snow Leopard installed, OS X 10.6.2, 2.53. GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Any suggestions which brand firewire I should buy with which IEEE?

Thanks

Macbook Pro 13 inch OS X 10.6.2, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Feb 27, 2010 7:20 PM

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Answer 1

iyacyas

Level 4

1,536 points

Feb 27, 2010 9:05 PM in response to withfood

On the back of your G-drive you're likely to see the label firewire 800, I believe that is what that drive uses. So does your MBP.

What you need is a firewire 1394b cable 9-pin to 9-pin, if you're worried about the brand you might try Cables-to-go, they sell good cable.

http://www.cablestogo.com/productlist.asp?catid=612

1394a is for the 400Mbps standard and the 1394b is for the 800Mbps standard.

The firewire that is on your MBP is 1394b and it's backward compatible to 1394a devices. If you ever need to connect a device that is for 1394a (400Mbps) then you'll need a cable that is 9-pin on one end and 6 or 4-pin on the other, which ever of the two the device uses.

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Answer 2

withfood Author

Level 1

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Feb 28, 2010 9:54 AM in response to iyacyas

Thanks so much for the quick reply and info.....I did go to the web site you recommended & will purchase a cable but on that site I saw "Bilingual Firewire" .....do you have any idea what it is or if I would need that type of cable?
Thanks

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Answer 3

iyacyas

Level 4

1,536 points

Feb 28, 2010 5:49 PM in response to withfood

Bilingual simply means that it will allow you to connect a device that is 1394a (400) to a 1394b (800) hub. You do not need this unless you have a firwire device that is made for the 1394a (400) standard, as it will have either a 4-pin or 6-pin connection.

It's for backward compatibility.

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