Firewire Shelf Life

[Richard Crowley]

My first bet would be environmental (low humidity static electricity from users). Note that many synthetic carpets are even worse then wool for generating ESD. And you can zap electronic equipment with a spark that you can’t even detect. Winter is the worst time for ESD problems because of dry indoor air. Same reason many people use indoor humidifiers to keep their noses from drying out in the winter.

The other possibility might be that somebody(s) has started using some new make and/or model plug-in drive that is causing a problem, although I wouldn’t put much money on that horse.

Anytime the same problem starts happening to lots of different systems, especially after a long period of problem-free use, I would look for an environmental cause first, and this just smells very much like ESD to me.

[Ty Ford]

Damian,

Anecdotally, I’m a Mac guy. I still have my first SE-30 Mac that started life as an SE. Last time I fired it up, it still worked.

When I first got my dual 2 GB, I had noise in my Pro Tools rig. There was something about the Power Supply in some early pieces. When pressed, Apple suggested a software mod. When pressed harder they paid to have the Power Supply replaced.

In speaking with an Apple rep early on, I complained about the noise. They guy said, “Sir, we really have no way of knowing how these Macs will be used, so we can’t predict what specs we need to adhere to.” I said, “it’s a G5 , dual 2 GB Mac. You think, I’m not doing audio and video?!?!?!”

The new P/S helped on the firewire output, but I still need isolation transformers for the Mac’s unbalanced analog outs.

How about going back to the place where you bought these to see if they can increase your leverage to the degree that you get some action.

Could this turn out to be a “Toyota-sized” recall problem? No way to tell until you get enough research about others, which is, I guess, what you’re doing here.

Regards,

Ty Ford

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[Ty Ford]

[Richard Crowley] “Anytime the same problem starts happening to lots of different systems, especially after a long period of problem-free use, I would look for an environmental cause first, and this just smells very much like ESD to me.
“

why didn’t it happen in previous winters?

Ty

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[Richard Crowley]

“why didn’t it happen in previous winters? ”

Building managers make changes to the HVAC systems (or just changes to how they are operated) typically without informing the tenants. There could be several different reasons why something would happen this winter where it hadn’t before.

I’m not ruling out the possibility that there is some sort of epidemic with the computer hardware, either. I’ve had 2/3 of the computers in one of my classrooms all drop dead nearly simultaneously from the same cause (bad batch of hard drives).

[Damian Panitz]

I appreciate your help. My boss and I have been communicating with Apple. I hope I can get to the bottom of this. I love the video and your song.

[Ty Ford]

Damian,

Thanks! more stuff here, not all instrumentals https://www.reverbnation.com/#/tyford

You may need to bring it to Apple’s attention with a class action (not the term I’m looking for, but can’t think of another one). Something that demonstrates it’s not just a one-off thing.

Regards,

Ty

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[Shawn Sullivan]

I can report another case of exactly what Damian is talking about. In the lab I supervise we have experienced the same scenario. It is with G5 towers and FW800. Here is what happens.

Turn on computer it boots up completely. Connect an external hard drive(G-Drive) via FW800 that is powered off. Once you turn on the drive, which has not been used and is not hot, poof sparks and smoke with a LOUD repeated POP sound. This only happens with the G5 not the Mac Pro.

They stopped making these Towers in August 2006. I wasn’t at the school when they purchased these but they are in that “Magic Year”. We lost 19 towers in about 10 days. During those 10 days we even brought in an electrician to check the power in the room. They did some minor adjustments but everything seemed to be okay then they started blowing up HD’s again. This was in early March 2010.

Now in another room at the school we have the same thing happening again but just to the G5 towers. I’m in NYC as well. Maybe it’s something in the air…