I'm just an amateur trying to download vacation video from his
(thankfully) bottom-of-the-line JVC camcorder via iLink (4pin to 6pin)
cable.  My computer's on-board 6-pin socket had barely been used so I
wasn't surprised when I had to force it in a bit.  The camera wasn't
recognized at all.  I have a 2nd cheapo camera (Canon) that I tried
after repositioning the cable plug into the socket fortunately and it
worked fine.  I'm now using my Canon for capture purposes on the JVC's
tape, since I realized that I had reversed the 6-pin plug and that
fried the JVC's iLink circuitry.  The Canon seems to have no trouble
reading the JVC's tape, data codes and all, so I'm assuming there will
be minimal quality loss.

After reviewing this newsgroup, I see that this is not an uncommon
problem particularly since the 6-pin plug is not so hard to reverse
(yet with such harmful consequences).  My computer offers a 4-pin input
as well and I'm tempted to get a 4pin/4pin cable just to prevent this
from happening again.  (The 4-pin plug is better keyed for proper
polarity.)  When the USB standard has such robust protection against
polarity reversal, why should the IEEE 1394 standard be so lame??  I
wonder what changes the IEEE 1394B standard will bring about in cables
and chips?

Although I fully admit it was the result of my own negligence, I have
to say that it was remarkably easy to jam this plug into the (unseen)
back of my computer and instantly fry my camera.  Thankfully, it wasn't
a VX-2100!  I only wish that warnings of this would appear in the
manual.  I can see, however, how bitter a pill it would be for a
carved-in-stone standard to have to be asterisk'd like this: "This is
our wondefully speedy data transfer spec... just remember that the
pin-outs on a (so easily) reversed 6-pin plug place 18 volts across a
camera's iLink chip in such a way to instantly fry it" (Giving a new
meaning to 'fire' wire)

That's remarkable. Both the 4-pin and 6-pin Firewire plugs and sockets
are keyed. That is, they are asymmetrically shaped so it's virtually
impossible to plug them in wrong, but somehow you did. Prior to reading
your message, I would have said it was impossible to plug Firewire in
wrong. Now I have to add the modifier "virtually" to account for you,
who presumedly exists in the same universe I do.

In all the years I've been using Firewire cameras and disk drives, I've
never plugged one in wrong. For me, at least, it's impossible.

Bye.

On 8 Jul 2005 10:34:45 -0700, "Crunchy Doodle"
<CrunchyDoo***@gmail.com> wrote:

I have seen parallel printer connectors where the user has somehow
succeeded in getting the plug in upside-down.   Apparently without
recourse to a mallet too :-)

I think the plugs vary in how closely they follow the standard's
tolerances, because on my 6-pin to 4-pin cable it only took a bit of
force to reverse the polarity.  It was less force than that required
for USB plugs, which I'm more accustomed to using.  I definitely think
the 4-pin plug has a better design against this from happening.

Only really cheap sockets will let you put a 6 pin in upside down - the
center contact section would have to shift significantly and this will only
happen if the construction is poor. It is very, very hard to put a 6 pin in
backwards if the socket is built well.

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