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Troubleshooting FireWire - Known Good Device, Cable, Mac

I'm having a bit of an odd issue. I'm trying to connect my Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD (DVR) to my Mac Mini (mid-2010). The device isn't detected, which doesn't seem so odd, but here's where the trouble starts:


* I know it's not the DVR: It connects to my Macbook Pro (mid-2010) just fine.

* I know it's not the cable: I have two FireWire cables, both of which can connect the DVR to the Macbook Pro without an issue.

* I know it's not the Mac Mini: It can detect other FireWire devices, and I've taken it into the Apple Store and confirmed that the logic board is in proper working order.


Things I've tried:

* I've reinstalled OS X Lion as a clean install; the DVR still wasn't detected.

* I've removed all other peripherals; the DVR still wasn't detected.


I'm wondering if there might be relevant differences between the MacBook Pro and the Mac Mini that could cause the DVR not to be detected on the Mac Mini, even though all of the individual components work in other permutations? Really, I'm just baffled, so any advice would be appreciated.

Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.7.3)

Posted on May 4, 2012 7:32 PM

Reply
9 replies

May 4, 2012 10:38 PM in response to BDAqua

The Mac Mini shows only the bus:

FireWire Bus:

Maximum Speed: Up to 800 Mb/sec



The MacBook Pro shows the device:

FireWire Bus:

Maximum Speed: Up to 800 Mb/sec

Explorer(R) 8300HD:

Manufacturer: Scientific-Atlanta, Inc.

Model: 0x206C

GUID: 0x16920032060000

Maximum Speed: Up to 400 Mb/sec

Connection Speed: Up to 400 Mb/sec

Sub-units:

Explorer(R) 8300HD Unit:

Unit Software Version: 0x10001

Unit Spec ID: 0xA02D

Explorer(R) 8300HD Unit:

Unit Software Version: 0x10101

Unit Spec ID: 0x5068

Explorer(R) 8300HD Unit:

Unit Software Version: 0x100

Unit Spec ID: 0x989"

May 4, 2012 11:07 PM in response to kiahzero

Firewire reset, usb reset…


What brand/model enclosures are these?


  • Shut down the computer.
  • Disconnect all FireWire devices and all other cables, except the keyboard and mouse cable(s).
  • Disconnect the computer from the power outlet and wait for 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Plug the computer back in and turn it on.
  • Reconnect the FireWire device(s) (one at a time if there is more than one) and test. Test with each FireWire port if you have more than one.


https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3101579?start=0&tstart=0


http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20051129074631518

May 6, 2012 1:05 PM in response to BDAqua

No change: System Profiler on the Mac Mini shows only the bus. System Profiler on the MacBook Pro continues to show the device.


I'm thinking I might try to boot up with Knoppix on both machines, see if it's detected on one and not the other. That'd let me affirmatively establish that there's not something weird going on with the software on the Mac Mini that's preventing the FireWire connection from working.

Troubleshooting FireWire - Known Good Device, Cable, Mac

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