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FireWire 400 and 800 Cables

IEEE 1394 cables in 4-pin, 6-pin and 9-pin versions for camcorders, audio interfaces and external drives. 60 products from $3.99 to $31.99. Vszerda, Enfain, SANOXY and more.

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Counting pins on a FireWire plug

FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a) comes in two shapes. The 6-pin plug carries data and power and is common on desktop ports, drives and audio gear. The small 4-pin plug carries data only and appears on camcorders and some laptops, which is why a DV camera runs from its own battery. FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394b) uses a 9-pin plug. A 9-pin to 6-pin cable connects an 800 port to a 400 device, and the link runs at the lower 400 Mbit/s speed. Count the pins on both ports before choosing the cable.

Cables with a USB plug on the other end

Some listings pair a FireWire plug with a USB-A plug. FireWire and USB are different protocols, so a plain cable does not convert one into the other. It can only work with devices built to use it, and a computer with no FireWire port needs a FireWire expansion card or, on some Thunderbolt computers, a Thunderbolt to FireWire adapter.

Length matters too: FireWire 400 allows about 4.5 m (15 ft) per cable hop, and devices can be daisy chained, so each hop can use its own cable. Check that any card has a driver for your operating system, and match the plug type: a 6-pin cable suits a desktop card, while a camcorder's small 4-pin socket needs a 4-pin end.

Questions about FireWire 400 and 800 Cables

Can I plug a 9-pin FireWire 800 cable into a 6-pin FireWire 400 port?
Not directly, because the plugs are different shapes. Use a 9-pin to 6-pin cable between an 800 port and a 400 device. The connection then runs at the 400 Mbit/s speed of the slower end.
Will a 4-pin FireWire port power my device?
No. The 4-pin plug has no power pins, so the device needs its own battery or power adapter. A 6-pin port can feed a bus-powered drive or interface, but a 6-pin to 4-pin cable still cannot power a camcorder.
Can I connect a FireWire camcorder to a modern computer?
Only if the computer has a FireWire port, or you add one with a PCIe card or, on some Thunderbolt computers, a Thunderbolt to FireWire adapter. A cable with a USB plug on one end is not a conversion. Confirm the card's chipset has a driver for your system.