New computer old firewire tech...

[ScooterOC]

Does anyone have an idea where to get an adapter that works to connect firewire to a laptop without firewire connection? I've seen very simple looking adapters for firewire to usb and I have doubts they work since most reviews say they don't work. Seems like there should be a functioning interface adapter somewhere. Thanks

[JVRaines]

I use a StarTech ExpressCard adapter (EC13942A2) and it works fine on a Dell Win 7 laptop.

[usually_quiet]

Does anyone have an idea where to get an adapter that works to connect firewire to a laptop without firewire connection? I've seen very simple looking adapters for firewire to usb and I have doubts they work since most reviews say they don't work. Seems like there should be a functioning interface adapter somewhere. Thanks

You are right. Firewire to USB 2.0 adapters are mostly a waste of money. They don't work for connecting cameras, video capture devices, audio devices, or Firewire on a cable box. I remember somebody here saying that Firewire to USB 2.0 adapter might work for connecting a hard drive, at USB 2.0 speed.

The only fully-functional Firewire adapters for laptops that I have seen require an ExpressCard slot like this one: http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-ExpressCard-Firewire-Adapter-EC13942/dp/B000RKUKMG ...but for several years now, very few new laptops are equipped with an ExpressCard slot. If your laptop doesn't have an ExpressCard slot, you are out of luck.

[smrpix]

If you are on a mac you can (and must) go FW400 -> FW800 -> Thunderbolt.

[ScooterOC]

I appreciate that suggestion but my laptop doesn't have a PCMCIA slot. Is there something like this available for plug in to USB port?

[orsetto]

If your new laptop is PC/Windows and does not have any kind of expansion slot (95% of current laptops fit this description), then you're SOL. There is no way to add FireWire to a laptop that doesn't have a slot to install a FireWire adapter card. OTOH, if your new laptop DOES have an expansion (ExpressCard) slot, you would be able to buy a FireWire card and pop it in as JVRaines suggested. Unfortunately, ExpressCard expansion slots proved to be the single least-used feature in consumer laptops, so mfrs long ago dropped them to cut corners. Aside from a tiny handful of corporate-oriented laptops from the like of ThinkPad, no new PC/Windows laptops can be made compatible with FireWire peripherals. (As you surmised, there is no USB>FireWire adapter that actually works).

Apple also dropped built-in FireWire support and ExpressCard ages ago, but at least still includes the goofy "Thunderbolt" port which can be converted to FireWire by plugging in a simple inexpensive dongle. All current and recent Apple MacBooks include a ThunderBolt port. Note while it usually works fine, there can be some issues when using a Thunderbolt/Firewire adapter. Some older scanners etc expect to see an actual motherboard FireWire connection, and/or will only reliably recognize a small selection of FireWire expansion cards that were available at the time they were sold. Some digital camera backs will need an additional workaround adapter to supply power: the Thunderbolt port in some MacBooks does not meet their power requirements.

If you only need FireWire to dump videos from a camcorder, your easiest solution might be to pick up an older second-hand PC laptop with onboard FireWire (or an ExpressCard slot). Five or six year old top-line Toshibas and HPs and Sony Vaios are available cheap nowadays, ThinkPads will cost a bit more. Another alternative might be an old (circa-2008) Apple Mac Mini with built-in FireWire 400 or 400/800 port: these are tiny desktop Macs that plug into any random mouse/keyboard/monitor. Use the older computer to pull videos off your FireWire camcorder, then copy the videos to a USB thumbdrive to move them to your newer faster laptop for editing. Or just use the older computer as a dedicated video workstation start to finish, if it seems capable enough to suit you.

[JVRaines]

Pinnacle made a product called MovieBox which purports to convert IEEE1394 to USB in hardware, send it to the computer, and spoof it back to FireWire with a custom device driver. This site swears it works up to Win 10.