leaving firewire cable connected to computer

[Steven Matthews]

I leave my cables dangling out of my G5 all the time. I seem to recall reading that the IEEE standard requires the connectors to be good for so many thousands of plug-unplug operations but I don’t see the need to cause wear by unnecessary tidyness! I also recall some article advising us to plug-in firewire cables only to devices which are switched off. They suggested a higher risk of firewire card failures when “live” connections are made between devices. Sorry I can’t cite references but, until a Cow member learned in science turns up with a reasoned reply, I’d play it safe and make dead connections only and then switch on your camera.

[John Fishback]

I agree you should always have equipment powered down before connecting. Even if the manufacturer says you can make hot connections, I don’t.

John

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[Goro Toshima]

great….thanks for the responses.

i’ll keep ’em plugged into the computer.

goro

[Noah Kadner]

I leave a Firewire 400 and 800 cable connected to a Mac Pro all the time- haven’t had any problems.

-Noah

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[Goro Toshima]

cool..thanks noah.

[Steven Beers]

In the obscure category, I did know a fellow audio engineer that used to leave his firwire cables in the floor. One day he picked it up and some static electricity jumped from the carpet to the cable and fried his FireWire bus. Never heard of that again, but I did see it happen to one guy.