Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Medium Format / Film / Digital Backs – and Large Sensor Photography => Topic started by: Frank Doorhof on February 21, 2010, 06:47:18 am

Title: Firewire 800 lock
Post by: Frank Doorhof on February 21, 2010, 06:47:18 am
This is driving me nuts.
On my MBP 17" the firewire 800 connector is not as solid as it should be, meaning that if my notebook moves a little bit the firewire connector comes loose and I loose the connection to my back.
Is there some sort of locking cable ?
Preferabel under an angle.
Title: Firewire 800 lock
Post by: tho_mas on February 21, 2010, 06:50:09 am
(http://www.proproduction.co.uk/images/uploads/GAFFER.jpg)
Title: Firewire 800 lock
Post by: Rick_Allen on February 21, 2010, 07:28:09 am
Hehe love it tho and you are very close to my solution. And I'm not sure I should put this out before the patent gets approved, but on the 17 umnibody the Ethernet is right beside the 800 port so I cut the connector off A Ethernet cable and gaffs taped the connector and the 800 cable connector kinda together and it's works really well. I guess the commercially available version would use a connector with a spacer and a Velcro cable tie. Email me for stock enquiries $100usd rrp discount available to lumi contribs. :-)
Title: Firewire 800 lock
Post by: Nick-T on February 21, 2010, 03:31:05 pm
Quote from: Rick_Allen
Hehe love it tho and you are very close to my solution. And I'm not sure I should put this out before the patent gets approved, but on the 17 umnibody the Ethernet is right beside the 800 port so I cut the connector off A Ethernet cable and gaffs taped the connector and the 800 cable connector kinda together and it's works really well. I guess the commercially available version would use a connector with a spacer and a Velcro cable tie. Email me for stock enquiries $100usd rrp discount available to lumi contribs. :-)

Rick that's a genius idea!
Thanks
Nick-T
Title: Firewire 800 lock
Post by: archivue on February 21, 2010, 04:38:51 pm
velcro !

soft velcro around the FW800 cable end, and under the macbook's FW800 Plug... and one single  piece of male velcro to keep them close together.
Title: Firewire 800 lock
Post by: Frank Doorhof on February 21, 2010, 05:26:49 pm
Network and Velcro both great solutions indeed. Just alshope there is an official solution. Till that time this must work.
Brilliant thanks guys.  
Title: Firewire 800 lock
Post by: Rick_Allen on March 03, 2010, 06:16:38 am
Quote from: Frank Doorhof
Network and Velcro both great solutions indeed. Just alshope there is an official solution. Till that time this must work.
Brilliant thanks guys.

Here is one I knocked up on location awhile ago but you could make it much neater.
Title: Firewire 800 lock
Post by: ced on March 03, 2010, 08:57:29 am
Nice clever idea. Mass produce and start selling...
Title: Firewire 800 lock
Post by: Frank Doorhof on March 03, 2010, 11:44:38 am
I can tell you that it works great.
I will now make it into a network cable with a female on the other side so you can also keep using network if needed.
Brilliant idea.
Title: Firewire 800 lock
Post by: BJNY on March 03, 2010, 12:17:18 pm
Quote from: Frank Doorhof
I will now make it into a network cable with a female on the other side so you can also keep using network if needed.

How would you do that, Frank?
Is this something that's available off-the-shelf?

Thanks,
Billy
Title: Firewire 800 lock
Post by: UlfKrentz on March 03, 2010, 01:10:36 pm
Quote from: BJNY
How would you do that, Frank?
Is this something that's available off-the-shelf?

Thanks,
Billy

Hi Billy,

I don´t know female connectors, though they might be availible. You may use a short male/male combination instead (like the ones uses in patch panels) and get a female/female box to connect to the network. You´ll get that ready off the shelf.

BTW is it good to cut a cable and plug it into the network connector? I would be worried about a short circuit.
What will happen if somebody stumbles over the firewire cable now... will it ruin the network connector or even worse - let the PB fall down?
I like the idea of the mag safe power connector or better use something more solid.

Cheers, Ulf
Title: Firewire 800 lock
Post by: Rick_Allen on March 03, 2010, 06:24:44 pm
Yeah it's probably not the best idea to cut a cable under the shrink wrap I have a piece of electrical tape to try prevent shorts but and I was on location and needed a solution fast.

You can buy 6 inch cat 6 cables pretty easily and the attach a cat extender so that you keep access to the Ethernet.