How Do Firewire Cables Work?

The Basics

"Firewire" is a type of cable that was created by Apple. The first Firewire cable appeared on the market in 1995. Firewire is a high-intensity alternative to other types of cables like USB or Serial. It is mainly used for transferring data from external devices to a computer. It is notable for its ability to transfer anywhere between 50 and 400 megabytes a second. This makes the cable favorable for devices requiring the transfer of large files to a computer, like external hard drives.

Operation

Each end of a standard Firewire cable comes with two different kinds of plugs. One end is a small, four-pin plug. This end is used for plugging into most compatible devices, like camcorders, where space is limited, so the plug size has to be small. The other end of the cable is a bit larger, containing six pins, and plugs directly into a computer. Data is then transferred from the device to the computer via the cable.

Devices

A number of devices use Firewire cables to transfer data to a computer. The most notable of these are digital video camcorders. As the file size of raw digital video is quite large, a normal type of cable would take comparably long periods of time to transfer video. Firewire cables are able to transfer video from a camcorder to a computer quickly and efficiently, resulting in minimal-to-no loss in information and quality. Other devices that use Firewire cables to transfer information to a computer are digital cameras, external hard drives and older models of Apple's iPod line of MP3 playing devices.

References

• Apple.com