Completely Frustrated!

[Obsidian Dragon]

Originally Posted by mwing

So i did buy another, shorter firewire cable, and it appears that the connection is loose. I put some electrical tape on the cable side that goes into the computer to tighten things up. The FW 800 port is really a piece of junk, it can come loose very easily. It's strange because i can bring up a session and it will run and record for a good amount of time. Then suddenly things will crash out of nowhere. I think all signs point to the FW interface.

Is it the firewire port on the computer or on the 002? I'm assuming you are referring to the port on the computer since you mention firewire800. The port on the 002 is the older firewire400 type. I have not had any problems with my firewire port and it is quite snug. Was it loose with your older cable too? In other words, is it loose because of the port or the cable?

[mwing]

The port on the computer doesn't seem to be a snug fit. I tried a little experiment last night and was just listening to some music, but running it out through the 002R. It worked good for quite a while then suddenly stopped playing music and emitted a high pitch frequency out of the speakers. I turned off the 002 and reconnected and was fine again. Maybe it's the cheap cable i'm using? I've looked at more expensive cables but i'm torn on using one if it isn't going to solve the issue.

[Obsidian Dragon]

Originally Posted by mwing

I turned off the 002 and reconnected and was fine again.

Now I always turned off BOTH the 002 AND the computer before unplugging the firewire cables. I did this because I read about possible damage from hot swapping firewire devices. If the computer is still on, there is a voltage going through that port and unplugging a cable could be a problem. It might be an unlikely problem but if there is a possibility, I would avoid doing that.

If you've tried multiple FW800 cables and they are all loose (no snug) at the computer's FW port, then It would point to a physically damaged FW port on the computer. Although you have used a piece of tape to make it fit snuggly, it may not make a good electrical connection. Unfortunately, on MacBook Pros, I think the FW ports are soldered onto the logic board, which makes replacement near impossible for anyone other than the most skilled technicians. Apple may replace the whole logic board but that will cost more than the value of the computer.

[mwing]

OK, i think i've finally figured it out. I had a bad power supply that seemed to be interfering with the firewire port. I ran the computer on battery supply and everything worked fine. As soon as battery was running low and i plugged in the power supply i immediately lost firewire connection. So, i used another power supply and i clamped on a ferrite bead to the firewire cable and all seems well for now! I was able to run the system for a few hours without a hitch. Hopefully this keeps working for a while.