Firewire config with interface and HD

[phishman13]

I am looking into buying a pc laptop as the core for a more portable DAW than my desktop, a firewire audio interface, and an external HD.

I am trying to figure out the best way to hook up these 3 devices with any laptop.

It was suggested to me by someone at sweetwater that I should have my interface and my "audio only" external HD on separate busses. Most of the laptops in my price range that I am finding only have 1 firewire port, and that one is only a 4 pin at that. I would like to know the best way to hook up a firewire audio interface and a firewire external HD to a laptop that only has one 4 pin firewire port. (Of course it will have one pcmcia or expresscard slot, and a few usb 2.0 ports, but who knows if any of them are on separate busses or not). I would like both to be able to be powered by the laptop.

Is it "ok" or "the best" method to plug the HD into the 2nd firewire port on the interface? How would this effect real-time performance?

What type of adapter is best (portability in mind) to get more than one firewire device into my computer with power? And does it matter much if they are on the same bus?

If so, how do I hook them up on separate busses?


If you guys could throw any suggestions or knowledge my way, I would appreciate it greatly! I need to know everything about every piece I buy and how they will interact before I start purchasing, so your input will be very beneficial to me!

Thanks,

Kyle

[TimOBrien]

Do you REALLY need mobile operation on the laptop's battery??? Is that why you want to power the interface from the bus?? (I don't think ANY laptop is going to last too long powering external devices...)

I've been using a Gateway laptop with a Motu828mkII daisy-chained to a Glyph GT050 firewire drive for the last year with ZERO problems. I'm using a 6-to-4 pin cable from the 828 to the laptop and all devices are plugged into a common power strip. Again, ZERO problems. And I also use a Seagate Firewire/USB2 external drive for video editing.

ByTheWay: Firewire devices were designed from the ground up to be daisy-chained. Although you do have to check with the interface manufacturer to make sure that they have done their design job right so that you can do it.

[tech1]

Firewire hard drives cannot run off bus power. And you can only run certain interfaces off bus power, and even then, only on a 6-pin connection (4-pin connection remove the 2 pibns that carry power). The only way you can have a totally unplugged rig that that is to get a laptop w/ 2 internal HD;s and a 6-pin firewire port. But, this configuration will suck your battery power very quickly.

[ninjamie]

I just got a new Dell Inspiron e1505 to use for portable recording with my Presonus FirePod. I found out that many people have had issues with the Dell's firewire and the FirePod. I was getting pops and crackles in the signal that wasn't related to latency.

I found what really fixed it was getting my external HD off the firewire bus and moving it to USB 2.0. (It was daisy-chained to the Firepod). Manufacturers don't recommend daisy-chaining other devices onto audio hardware, so I wouldn't bank on that.

You could try the express card bus for a firewire card, but Expresscard is limited right now in what is available. Your expresscard firewire has to have a compatible chipset with for the interface, and depending on the interface, might have to only be for 1394a (not the firewire 800). For Presonus, that is the SIIC card, which didn't work very well with my Dell.

My suggestion is to use usb 2.0 for your HD.

and as the others said regarding portability...4-pin firewire (the kind that comes standard on PC laptops) doesn't offer power (that requires a 6-pin connection).