Firewire 400 to USB

[Asu]

Hello

I have an old Firewire drive I used on an iMac 2013 with a Firewire to Thunderbolt adapter. I updated to a new iMac. I'm hailing a heckuva difficult time figuring out how to connect from FW to the new computer, which seems to have USB-C ports labeled with the same icon as the old Thunderbolt ports. Please help. Thanks

 

[ruslan120]

Hello

I have an old Firewire drive I used on an iMac 2013 with a Firewire to Thunderbolt adapter. I updated to a new iMac. I'm hailing a heckuva difficult time figuring out how to connect from FW to the new computer, which seems to have USB-C ports labeled with the same icon as the old Thunderbolt ports. Please help. Thanks

Since you mentioned you already have a Firewire to Thunderbolt adapter, one of these should do the trick:

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMEL2AM/A/thunderbolt-3-usb-c-to-thunderbolt-2-adapter

Those USB C ports are actually Thunderbolt 3 now. So thubderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 3 will work (computer <- linked adapter <- your thunderbolt adapter - firewire)

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

You need TWO adapter/dongles to make a firewire connection to a new Mac with USBc ports:
1. Thunderbolt3-to-Thunderbolt2 adapter
and
2. Thunderbolt2-to-firewire800 adapter

IF the old firewire drive has a firewire400 port, you would also need a 9-pin to 6 pin cable (firewire800 on one end and firewire400 on the other).

BUT...
If this is the only firewire drive you have, it might be just as easy to:
1. Open the case and remove the drive
2. Use the drive with a USB3/SATA docking station or a USB3 enclosure.

 

[dwig]

Since you already have most of the needed components (drive, cable, FW<>TB2 dongle), I would modify Fishrrman's excellent suggestion of "IF this is the only firewire drive you have, ..." to be "IF this is the only TB2 device chain you have ...".

If you aren't going to be using other TB2 devices or FW devices adapted to TB2, then you may well be better off just getting an appropriate USB-3 case to fit the old drive mech. If you are then adding Apple's TB2<>TB3 dongle to the chain is the easy solution.

 

[Asu]

Since you already have most of the needed components (drive, cable, FW<>TB2 dongle), I would modify Fishrrman's excellent suggestion of "IF this is the only firewire drive you have, ..." to be "IF this is the only TB2 device chain you have ...".

If you aren't going to be using other TB2 devices or FW devices adapted to TB2, then you may well be better off just getting an appropriate USB-3 case to fit the old drive mech. If you are then adding Apple's TB2<>TB3 dongle to the chain is the easy solution.

That's the choice I made. The easiest and the cheapest.