Firewire cable inserted wrong way round?
An unusual problem for you:
A not-for-profit organisation in my area makes videos for voluntary bodies and other community-based groups, and also provides video training for disadvantaged teenagers. They usually bring in a freelance editor and use a G4 1Ghz MDD (OS X 10.2.8), FCP 3.0.2, a Sony DHR-1000UX (PAL) DV Deck, and a Sony HDV 1080i Mini DV camera.
None of them know anything about Macs so I usually help them out with problems (I have a Mac-based audio recording studio and have used Macs since the early '90s). I know next to nothing about FCP itself.
A couple of days ago I was called in because the Mac wouldn't boot. I was told that, the previous night, the editor had unplugged the FW cable to the deck from the rear of the G4 to connect another camera. Then, on reconnecting the deck, the Mac suddenly powered down and wouldn't boot again.
When I examined the Firewire cable at the rear of the G4, I found that the editor had jammed it in the wrong way round, i.e. the straight edge was where the "v" edge should be, and vice versa. I reinserted it correctly and the Mac started OK. But my troubleshooting Firewire drive wouldn't mount, and FCP couldn't see the Sony deck anymore, on either of the Firewire ports.
I figured that the ports/bus were blown, so I sourced a Macally 3-port PCI-to-Firewire card for them and installed it. Now I could mount my FW drive, but FCP still refused to see the deck. And if the deck was connected to the Mac before boot-up, the monitors remained in Standby mode. To get the monitors to come on, the deck now has to be disconnected.
However, if I connected the camera instead of the deck, the Mac (and FCP) saw it just fine. So, since I had my own work to do, I left it at that and promised to come back. Which I did today.
Today I ran TechTool Pro 4 hardware tests - no problems reported. Just for good measure I ran all its other tests along with DiskWarrior 3. I reset the PRAM, then went into Open Firmware and reset all NVRAM defaults. Then tested by connecting my FW drive to the original on-board FW ports. No luck. So I pulled the Firewire card and ran the Apple Hardware Tests CD. No problems reported.
I replaced the card, reset the PMU, and restarted. Connected my FW drive, again to the native Mac ports - no joy. Then I connected the drive to the PCI card ports - and suddenly my drive wouldn't mount on any of those either.
And tonight that drive - a LaCie 40Gb FW PocketDrive - won't mount on any of my own Macs anymore (although its power lamp lights).
I'm starting to suspect that the reversed Firewire connection may have blown the Sony deck's FW as well as the Mac's ports (thus explaining why the camera works OK). But I don't understand how connecting my own FW drive to a (possibly) blown port could have nuked it too.
I'm lost here, folks. A guiding light would be very welcome.
Kind regards.
Dave.
A not-for-profit organisation in my area makes videos for voluntary bodies and other community-based groups, and also provides video training for disadvantaged teenagers. They usually bring in a freelance editor and use a G4 1Ghz MDD (OS X 10.2.8), FCP 3.0.2, a Sony DHR-1000UX (PAL) DV Deck, and a Sony HDV 1080i Mini DV camera.
None of them know anything about Macs so I usually help them out with problems (I have a Mac-based audio recording studio and have used Macs since the early '90s). I know next to nothing about FCP itself.
A couple of days ago I was called in because the Mac wouldn't boot. I was told that, the previous night, the editor had unplugged the FW cable to the deck from the rear of the G4 to connect another camera. Then, on reconnecting the deck, the Mac suddenly powered down and wouldn't boot again.
When I examined the Firewire cable at the rear of the G4, I found that the editor had jammed it in the wrong way round, i.e. the straight edge was where the "v" edge should be, and vice versa. I reinserted it correctly and the Mac started OK. But my troubleshooting Firewire drive wouldn't mount, and FCP couldn't see the Sony deck anymore, on either of the Firewire ports.
I figured that the ports/bus were blown, so I sourced a Macally 3-port PCI-to-Firewire card for them and installed it. Now I could mount my FW drive, but FCP still refused to see the deck. And if the deck was connected to the Mac before boot-up, the monitors remained in Standby mode. To get the monitors to come on, the deck now has to be disconnected.
However, if I connected the camera instead of the deck, the Mac (and FCP) saw it just fine. So, since I had my own work to do, I left it at that and promised to come back. Which I did today.
Today I ran TechTool Pro 4 hardware tests - no problems reported. Just for good measure I ran all its other tests along with DiskWarrior 3. I reset the PRAM, then went into Open Firmware and reset all NVRAM defaults. Then tested by connecting my FW drive to the original on-board FW ports. No luck. So I pulled the Firewire card and ran the Apple Hardware Tests CD. No problems reported.
I replaced the card, reset the PMU, and restarted. Connected my FW drive, again to the native Mac ports - no joy. Then I connected the drive to the PCI card ports - and suddenly my drive wouldn't mount on any of those either.
And tonight that drive - a LaCie 40Gb FW PocketDrive - won't mount on any of my own Macs anymore (although its power lamp lights).
I'm starting to suspect that the reversed Firewire connection may have blown the Sony deck's FW as well as the Mac's ports (thus explaining why the camera works OK). But I don't understand how connecting my own FW drive to a (possibly) blown port could have nuked it too.
I'm lost here, folks. A guiding light would be very welcome.
Kind regards.
Dave.
G4 dual 800s, Mac OS X (10.3.9)
