Customer Reviews

StarTech.com 2 Port ExpressCard 1394b FireWire Laptop Adapter Card (EC1394B2)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I ordered this to hook two HDV video cameras to my MacBook Pro for live video streaming. If only the rest of the setup was as simple as this firewire card. Plug n play.

I was initially concerned with it being Mac compatible, but it really is.

I need to work out the rest, but it was nice to not have to worry about this piece.

I received an initially Dead-on-Arrival EC1394B product, and vendor RMA'd for a working one.

Works in Ubuntu Linux. PCI ID 0c00: 104c:8025 (rev 01). Great TSB82AA2 chipset. The power supply (not included) can be provided by a RadioShack 273-1775 "AC-TO-DC POWER ADAPTER" in use with a RadioShack 273-1711 "ADAPT-A-PLUG 'H'" tip. This is according to 3.4mmOD/1.3mmID measurements and advice provided by the manufacturer StarTech.

The Linux IEEE1394 gurus I mailed said that this device uses an improper GUID. If you use only one EC1394B2 in a system there should not be a problem, but it is not compliant with the IEEE1394 association standards. Works for me.

Pros: This is the perfect product if you need to transfer lots of files like music
Cons: In mac works perfect in PC you need to buy a power AC/DC adapter when you are in motion this doesn't work for me and the company don't provided it, but there were nice enough to let me know the spec of the one I need which I puchace in Radio Shack for $30.

Bottom line stay way from pc with this device.

I bought this device to make up for the fact that my Sony Vaio Z laptop lacks a iLink (Firewire) connection. I put this into the ExpressCard slot and Windows 7 instantly recognized the device and installed it. It works like a charm. However, it does not ship with a cable and it has a nine-pine connection, so you will need the appropriate cable to connect to your camera or other external unit. This is the high-speech 1394B unit that will work where a 1394a version won't. My Vaio froze when I tried a 1394a, but this one solves the problem and allowed me to download the video. Amazon's price is much better than the manufacturer's.

I didn't think it was much when it arrived, but it worked flawlessly from the first moment I plugged it in. It is hot swappable and it performs as advertised. I did wish they would have included the power source instead of offering it as an option. I'm pushing my FireWire to the limit so the power source would have been handy.

Perfect plug and play operation on my older MBP (2006) running 10.5.6. When an external HD was attached to the card port, it mounted immediately. I use the external drive for A/V files (Logic Pro audio and Final Cut Pro video), and so far (a few weeks) no problems whatsoever. Data transfers are fast and smooth. If you're looking to add FW800 to your ExpressCard MBP, I recommend you try this.

I have Windows 7 and I used this with my Presonus FP10 Firepod audio interface. No complaints, I plugged it in and it worked right away. Sometimes, the card will become dislodged from the slot which often causes my computer to freeze, but this is most likely a problem that varies with the laptop.