Hello, A Westrenius
I am not certain the following qualify as "pearls", but here goes....
External iSight has been offered in several model revisions. Different iSight model versions are distinguished by a letter designation at the end of Apple's Part Number. This part number is easiest found on the box in which your iSight is originally sold. The last model version (Rev) I noticed before iSight was discontinued was "Rev C," and its part number is M8817LL/C.
Apple does not publish technical data on specific changes in each Rev. However, all three Revs I have seen appear very similar, and they are functionally equivalent.
For the user, about the only practical difference between the versions is in the mounts that were included when the iSight was new. For instance, the original iSight (and my "Rev A") included mounts that used adhesive to attach to the Mac or Monitor. The Rev C mounts included magnetic mounts for later Mac models.
Rev A also used a thumbscrew mount for the iBooks that were available at that time. The thumbscrew mount has been replaced with a clip-on mount designed for current Apple laptops. Other mounting applications are still supported by the current selection of included mounts.
You should check to see that the mounts that come with the iSight you are considering meet your needs. The Rev A mount should work just fine with your eMac. However, desktop Mac mounting solutions are fairly flexible, and if the iSight you buy does not include mounts that will work for you, we can suggest alternatives.
(Laptop mounting needs usually include a requirement for easy portability and repeated, easy set-up, so which mounts are included may be more important to those buying a used iSight for use with their laptop Macs. One alternative for laptop users who do not want to use some kind of desk stand to mount their iSights is the
iFlex.)
Rev C mounts are shown on page 6 of this downloadable
iSight Users Guide (Manual). This manual may answer many of your questions.
I offer two cautions when mounting your iSight.
First, regardless of what Mac you use or how you mount your iSight, do not block any air vents.
The second hint is
for laptop Mac users only.
Laptop Mac users must NOT use the magnetic mount near the hard drive of your Mac laptop! You may risk damage to the drive or your data. I have seen reports from two users who reported losing their data lost when they opened the box near their laptop. A magnetic mount fell out of the box, landed on their open laptop, and apparently damaged the drive. One user reported that the damage was repaired only by reformatting the drive and reinstalling everything. The other user said that her drive could no longer even be formatted, but she never posted back to say whether her Apple Service Technician was able to repair the drive.
Instructions on how to attach the Firewire cable and mount iSight are shown beginning on page 7 of the Users Guide.
My iSight is a "Rev A," and it is now more than three years old. My Rev A iSight still works as well as the later Rev B's and Rev C's I have seen. However, all iSights I have ever seen have their Firewire port at the bottom rear of the iSight's "barrel." The picture you saw showing a Firewire cable coming through the side of iSight's "barrel" may be misleading you. If not, the iSight must have been modified, and I would caution you about considering that one.
Finally, unless the iSight you are considering is a NOS (new, old-stock) iSight, it will likely not be covered by Apple Warranty. If the seller is not providing you service guarantees or warranty, you may be interested in considering Apple's
iSight Service: Frequently Asked Questions.
Jim
Mac OS X (10.4.9) G5 DP 1.8 External iSight
