Adaptec FireWire 1394 Brochure

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How to make a fat pipe out of a thin wire.
The emergence of digital video and multimedia applica-
tions has brought with it the need to move large amounts
of data—quickly—between peripherals and PCs. And as
audio/video products migrate to digital technology, both
consumers and professionals alike stand to benefit from a
simple high-speed connection that would make this
transmission more efficient. Enter 1394: the digital cable.
The IEEE 1394 serial bus is the industry-standard imple-
mentation of Apple Computer, Inc.'s FireWire digital I/O
system. It is a versatile, high-speed, low-cost method of
interconnecting a variety of personal computer peripher-
als and consumer electronics devices. Developed by the
industry's leading technology companies, the specifica-
tion was accepted as an industry standard by the IEEE
Standards Board on December 12, 1995.
FireWire offers several advantages over other
technologies. These benefits include:
• Guaranteed delivery of multiple data streams
through isochronous data transport
• The ability to connect up to 63 devices without
the need for additional hardware, such as hubs
• Data transfer rates of up to 400 Mb/sec with
1.2 Gb/sec speeds in development
• A flexible, six-wire cable
• Complete plug-and-play operation, including
the hot swapping of live devices
• Acceptance by over 40 leading manufacturers
in the computer and electronics consumer
industries
How does FireWire work?
Using special integrated circuits, FireWire multiplexes
a variety of different types of digital signals such as com-
pressed video, digitized audio, and device control com-
mands on two twisted-pair conductors. The result is that
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FireWire's standard, 6-pin cables and connectors replace
the myriad of I/O connectors currently found in con-
sumer electronics equipment, PCs and peripherals.
FireWire also employs isochronous data transfer to guar-
antee the delivery of multiple time-critical multimedia
data streams. And, the protocol uses a "fairness" arbitra-
tion scheme to ensure that all nodes having information
to send get a chance to use the bus.
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DVANTAGES OF
• Speed: up to 400 Mb/sec with 1.2 Gb/sec
speeds in development
• Expandability Up to 63 devices
supported
• Convenience Easy-to-use cable and
connectors for plug-and-play and
"hot swapping"
• Guaranteed data transfer Isochronous
transport of multiple time-critical data
streams
• Low-cost flexible, six-pin cable for use
in high-volume commercial markets
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IEEE-1394