DaveWT
Well-Known Member
I am trying to do a little bit of learning about the various interfaces I presently use and the newer ones I will encounter if I ever move away from my Mid-2011 iMac, which offers Firewire 800, Thunderbolt and USB-2.
Two devices I use are:
1. External CD / DVD reader / burner which is Firewire 400 (and connects via FW 400 to FW 800 cable). It is not a big concern as it would be easy and cheap to replace with a newer device.
2. My beloved EyeTV 200 - This venerable antique refuses to die in spite of throwing off tons of heat and is used almost daily to provide TV content on my screen while doing other important work (Solitaire). It also uses a FW 400 interface and is daisy chained with that external DVD drive. As long as El Gato keeps the EYETV software working with the latest OS version I want to keep this box going.
In the future I am unlikely to be buying a new Mac with Firewire, and possibly not Thunderbolt either (unless I go for another iMac) and could possibly be limited to USB-C port(s).
I see there are cables to adapt from USB-C to USB (not clear if they provide USB 2 or USB 3).
Also I have seen listings (eBay, Amazon etc.) for USB 2 to firewire adapters from (questionable) 3rd party makers but not sure if they would work for this (EyeTV) application.
While my FW 400 is theoretically slower than the USB 2 spec, I have seen articles that suggest in use, it turns out to be generally faster so a USB-C to USB 2 adapter followed by a USB 2 to Firewire 400 adapter may be just too much of a kludge for such use.
I would appreciate any thoughts on such a path…
Two devices I use are:
1. External CD / DVD reader / burner which is Firewire 400 (and connects via FW 400 to FW 800 cable). It is not a big concern as it would be easy and cheap to replace with a newer device.
2. My beloved EyeTV 200 - This venerable antique refuses to die in spite of throwing off tons of heat and is used almost daily to provide TV content on my screen while doing other important work (Solitaire). It also uses a FW 400 interface and is daisy chained with that external DVD drive. As long as El Gato keeps the EYETV software working with the latest OS version I want to keep this box going.
In the future I am unlikely to be buying a new Mac with Firewire, and possibly not Thunderbolt either (unless I go for another iMac) and could possibly be limited to USB-C port(s).
I see there are cables to adapt from USB-C to USB (not clear if they provide USB 2 or USB 3).
Also I have seen listings (eBay, Amazon etc.) for USB 2 to firewire adapters from (questionable) 3rd party makers but not sure if they would work for this (EyeTV) application.
While my FW 400 is theoretically slower than the USB 2 spec, I have seen articles that suggest in use, it turns out to be generally faster so a USB-C to USB 2 adapter followed by a USB 2 to Firewire 400 adapter may be just too much of a kludge for such use.
I would appreciate any thoughts on such a path…