firewire adaptor question for ipod

[Qwest]

sister has an ipod mini and is always transferring stuff.
her laptop has mini firewire port.

this cable should work, right?

edit: any reputable places to get a cable like this?

thx.

 

[pulse8]

If the mini iPod has a 6 pin port on it, then yes that would work.

 

[Injury]

Provided the ipod Mini has the 6 pin connection on it, yes, that will work.

 

[randomlinh]

wait, no, it won't work.. heh... ipods have a proprietary connector

only the 2nd gen and before used a standard firewire cable.

 

[Qwest]

it's a mini

 

[randomlinh]

ok, anything post 2nd gen won't work you're outta luck, gunna have to buy something straight from apple.

 

[Xionide]

Use the firewire cable that came with the miny along with an adapter.

 

[anandfan]

yeah, this is an older thread, but I found this searching and thought I could add something for others who stumble upon this thread:

gave my daughter an ipod for Christmas. The included firewire cable connects to 6-pin port on computer, but her HP laptop has the 4-pin plugin. Made the round of several computer stores, couldn't find a 4-pin to 6-pin adapter anywhere. Finally, ordered a 4-pin male to 6-pin female adapter from Outpost. "Only" cost $14 after shipping is added it! What a rip-off! Maybe HP laptops have a unique firewire port, but I doubt it. Apple should have included the adapter at no cost, or made sure it is available whereever the iPod is sold.

(And, to top it off, after installing a 6-pin Firewire port in my desktop just so she could check it out while we wait for the adapter from Outpost, her iPod is DOA! The connector port only makes sporadic contact. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Returned it to Amazon, but replacement units are not in stock!)

 

[jammur21]

IIRC the ipod requires a powered firewire PCI card. It draws its charging power over the firewire card.

 

[metalmania]

come on, that 4-6 pin cable is $3 shipped. Quite an old deal. or you can buy a 1394 PCI card with this cable for less than $10 shipped!

 

[anandfan]

come on, that 4-6 pin cable is $3 shipped.

You sound like one of sales people I talked to in the stores. Never listen. Didn't need a 4 to 6 cable. Needed a 4-6 adapter. And, if you know where to get a 4-pin male to 6-pin female adapter for $3 shipped, please post the link for others to use. I purchased it for $14 shipped at Outpost.com. Should have cost $5 locally, but nobody had it, and my gas and time are not free. . And, yeah, I already have a $10 Belkin 1394 card that came with a super duper cable, but that don't help the laptop any.

IIRC the ipod requires a powered firewire PCI card.

Yep, requires powered USB 2.0 or firewire port. Now you got me wondering if the 4-port firewire connector on my laptop can supply power.... Off to google I go.

Edit:

OK. Googled and found the iPod lounge iPod Lounge


Here is what the faq's say about the miniFirewire:

Q: I have a non-powered FireWire connection on my PC/Laptop. And I keep running out of battery power when uploading. Is there any way I can get power to the iPod?

A: There are 2 solutions to this. A 4-pin port will not provide power to the iPod. You need a 6-pin FireWire port. Most laptops with built in Firewire only support 4-pin ports, but there are a couple of solutions:

* Get a PCMCIA Firewire Card that supports an external power supply. This will then provide power to the iPod
* Get a PCMCIA Firewire Card that has 2 6-pin ports. Connect one port to the iPod. With a second FireWire cable, connect to the AC Adaptor which should be plugged into a power outlet. This will provide power to the iPod.
* Try the SiK FireJuice power injector. It makes it possible to use bus-powered devices on computers with un-powered FireWire ports.
* A powered FireWire Hub can also be used.

 

[Qwest]

yeah, my sister's laptop has the 4pin slot, so i just need the adaptor.

 

[BRObedoza]

the third gen ones used to come with these.. I use this with my ipod and laptop. Maybe you can find someone with a 3rd gen ipod that doesn't use this adapter.

 

[anandfan]

he third gen ones used to come with these.

Yes, that is the little beastie. I gave up on eBay after a couple of fiascos there. The adapter wasn't included in the 4G model I purchased. Was also described as an "optional" accessory in the manual. Wonder why Apple stopped including it?

PS to metalmania : OK, this is $ 3 shipped, but the bidding has 6 days to go, and the price could go up. How about a link for $3, available now. Too late to help me, but might help others.

 

[BRObedoza]

did you try the ipodlounge forums? i'm sure someone there would be willing to sell you one for a reasonable price

 

[anandfan]

I have one, or will have one. A very expensive one. Being shipped by Outpost.

Just keeping this post updated to help others so they won't have to spend $14 to get a $5 (or $3) adapter.

CompUSA has them online for $5 plus $5 shipping, but mail-order only, and not in stock.

Edit:

Here is a link to the adapter for $2.95 plus 2.99 shipping from buyextras.com. They were mentioned on the ipod forums at apple.com

Buyextras.com Firewire Adapter for iPod

I've never ordered from them (or even heard of them). Strictly buyer beware!


Here are the iPod forums:
Apple iPod forums