Use YinYang for FireWire 400 and 800
Using FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 devices together on a computer can be challenging — especially with newer Macs that have only one FireWire 800 port and no FireWire 400 ports.
Sonnet’s YinYang FireWire 800 to FireWire 400/800 Mini Hub ($70, or about $50 at Amazon) simplifies the situation, yet also opens up new possibilities. It plugs into your computer’s FireWire 800 port and gives you two ports: one 400 and one 800. It also offers a performance benefit: you can transfer data to and from FireWire 800 and 400 devices simultaneously without affecting performance.
Limitation: you can use only one bus-powered FireWire device at a time. Self-powered devices operate normally.
Jeff Gamet is a contributing editor for Design Tools Monthly, the executive summary of graphic design news. He is also the morning editor and reviews editor for The Mac Observer and iPodObserver.com, and contributing writer for Layers Magazine and Photoshop User. He writes the InBrief column for InDesign Magazine, and is the author of “The Designer’s Guide to Mac OS X,” from Peachpit Press
When Jeff isn’t writing about the graphic design world, he’s talking about it on the Design Tools Weekly podcast with co-host Jay Nelson. He also talks about Apple and the Mac world every week on The Mac Observer’s Apple Weekly Report.
Jeff studies, tests and reviews new software and technologies for the Macintosh community as well as the design and print industries. He is a former Pre-press specialist, and has nearly 25 years experience with computer technology. Jeff trains, lectures and consults on techniques for more efficiently using Mac OS X in creative environments throughout the country.
In the rare moments when he can get away from his MacBook Pro, Jeff spends his time climbing and biking in the Colorado mountains.