ranger said:
My PCI-Express motherboard, a Chaintech VNF4 Ultra (nForce 4),lacks
onboard 1394. Just got a DVD cam and would like to get some FireWire
capability. My Antec case has a front FireWire jack. Want the best for
the least money (of course) that will get me an internal connection to
enable my front jack. Thanks!
I see a few issues.
The first is, not every Firewire chip works equally well. You
should really be using the model number of your DVcam in
Google, to see what chip types are working best. There
are some compatibility lists on the web, but they may not
be detailed enough to help you select a card.
Reading the reviews with the various cards here might have some info:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ertycodevalue=1871:12432&bop=and&InnerCata=73
Looking at that list, most of the cards use a Firewire internal
connector, rather than a series of pins for the Antec cable
assembly.
A product like this can be used to make a DIY front mount port.
You'll need to find a surface on the front of the computer, and
cut a hole to make room to access this thing. FrontX also has
many other little gadgets, and you might find an adapter to
do the job for you.
http://www.frontx.com/pro/p105_036.html
Assuming you could find a card with a good brand of Firewire chip
on it, and it has a header with pins on it, another issue is
some Antec cases have miswired cable assemblies. On one of my
Antec cases, TPA+/- leads are swapped with each other, and
TPB+/- leads are swapped with each other. Fortunately, this
swapping will not damage anything. If you are not able to get
the front port on the Antec working, and yet the rear ports on
the computer work, then try swapping TPA+/- with one another,
and swap TPB+/- with one another. Be very careful with VP and
VG (power pins) - swapping could cook something. I used a
multimeter to verify which Antec front panel connector pin was
connected to which cable pins. If you choose not to verify
the Antec wiring, you could fry your new camcorder and need
expensive repairs to it.
It is much safer to just run an extension cable from the back
of the computer, to a point where you can reach it.
HTH,
Paul
