I’d like to be able to connect a PCI or PCIe to FireWire expansion card to my laptop on the outside in order to be able to connect six pin IEEE 1394a connectors to it. I’m digitizing Mini DV cassettes. Is this even feasible?
I’d like to be able to connect a PCI or PCIe to FireWire expansion card to my laptop on the outside in order to be able to connect six pin IEEE 1394a connectors to it. I’m digitizing Mini DV cassettes. Is this even feasible?
After doing some research, it seems the modern way of approaching this is to get a Thunderbolt dock for laptops. It has to be Thunderbolt and not just standard USB-C, even though they both use the same form factor.
I found this as one of the cheapest options at $140: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQ7VXYDJ
You would then get a Thunderbolt to FireWire cable, which is a simple cable and less than $10.
The problem is that FireWire is incredibly picky about power delivery and so anything that officially supports FireWire also has to have a really antiquated specific power delivery spec that no one is streamlining anymore. So it’s unfortunately niche at this point.
But a lot better than $4k!
Thanks for looking this up! 😊
If FireWire indeed is that picky about PD, I’d rather go with one of those external PCIe card/devices that connect to thunderbolt. Since I happen to have a spare PSU. Which hinges on me finding a PCIe FireWire card. 😅