I have two scanners (both at least 5 years old) with Firewire 400 cables that plug into ports in the back of the Apple Display that I bought with my 2008-era Mac Pro. The new Mac Mini has a single Firewire 800 port and without an adapter like this, I could only connect 2 of the 3 cables from the monitor (USB, and DVI using the supplied DVI-to-MiniDVI converter that came with the computer), to the Mini. I'm using the 400-to-800 converter to connect the 3rd cable (Firewire 400) from my 2008 Apple Display, which in turn lets me continue to use the pair of Firewire 400 ports on the back of the monitor, for the two scanners.
At first, I didn't think this converter was working because I couldn't detect either scanner from the Print & Scan option of the Mac's 'System Preferences' screen. (Both scanners are too old to have updated drivers for recent versions of OSX including 10.8; I imagine that's why the system doesn't see them.) However, after downloading Vuescan, which drives many scanners, I found that Vuescan has no trouble in communicating with each scanner through the Sonnet 400-to-800 adapter so... all is well.
There are 9 cables in a single row going into the back of my Mini, and space along the line is tight. There are 2-3 millimeters to spare on each side of this adapter before you run into the adjacent plugs, so it fits into the array easily. Another reviewer thought it might be a bit longer than necessary, possibly leading to working loose over time. That might become an issue, but in my case, the Firewire 400 cable I plugged into itt takes a sharp right bend after leaving the adapter, and is draped across the power cable, 2 cables away, before going the rest of the way to the monitor's cable set. I don't think it will go anywhere unless the cat gets excited behind the monitors some day.
The Sonnet adapter is doing the job I hoped it would do. I needed to use the scanners over the weekend, so I ordered it on 2-day shipping, and Amazon delivered the package exactly on target.
| Brand | Sonnet Technologies |
|---|---|
| Item model number | FAD-824 |
| Item Weight | 0.8 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 3 x 3.25 x 0.75 inches |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 3 x 3.25 x 0.75 inches |
| Manufacturer | SONNET TECHNOLOGIES |
| Language | English |
| ASIN | B0000CDJPQ |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | August 30, 2003 |
