Thinkpads Forum

I have an old Sony videocam that uses a firewire interface to connect to a PC. I am going to try and get this working again, but read that Firewire is no longer supported on Windows 10 and 11.

Anyone have any experience with this?

You can get Firewire-to-USB adapters, such as this.

RealBlackStuff wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 09, 2025 11:20 am

You can get Firewire-to-USB adapters, such as this.

I had read about those, but I think there is some limitation in functionality.

After posting here, I found this link: https://wiretuts.com/how-to-fix-firewir ... indows-10/ I was able to install the driver using same method on Windows 11, but have not tested it yet. What that link did not say, is to first display hidden drivers. After doing that the 1394 showed up and I chose the generic driver.

Present problem is that the Firewire cable that I used with my old desktop had a larger plug at the PC end than the one needed for the T520. If I can't find the adapter, I will need a new cable just to test my T520 Firewire!

Reading the feedback/reviews of that first cable-link I gave you, many said the cable did not work.
One person said that a PCI cardbus adapter worked.
Here is a card like that.
Stuff like that is also on eBay.

I found a 6-pin female to 4-pin male firewire adapter at Canada Computers, right here where we live! C$4.99! My existing cable fits into it.

Problem I had though, was that the T520 firewire socket is damaged. The small plastic strip that guides the plug is floating about! I was able to get the plug to connect. but it's not a long term solution. Maybe some crazy glue would fix it!

Initially, I was only planning on testing my neglected but hardly used Canon Ultura to make sure it was fully functional. THis with idea that someone else might find it useful. It works fine, and I was able to transfer the videos that are on mini dv tapes to a hard drive. But now, was thinking that maybe I should use it again? But then a smartphone or my little Canon Powershot do most of what we need and are a lot more portable

Not much traffic on this forum thesed days

Everyone using Reddit?? If so, too bad.

Try Expresscard Firewire. I remember needing to buy one for my sister over a decade ago, because her old laptop had Firewire and the new one didn't.

axur-delmeria wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 10, 2025 11:04 pm

Try Expresscard Firewire. I remember needing to buy one for my sister over a decade ago, because her old laptop had Firewire and the new one didn't.

Seeing I have a firewire port on the T520, I thought that would do the job. It did for the first tape I captured from my videocam. But second time, I found that the laptops's firewire port was broken. A piece of it came out with the cable!

I had a look at Expresscards. Many have been discontinued. Those that have them want an arm and a leg.

Looking at motherboard, it seems it should not be too difficult to replace the firewire socket? Any comments or advice welcomed!
I will have to see if I can get a 4-pin female socket before taking my T520 apart again!

This might work: https://www.ebay.com/itm/314882032202
Or find an old motherboard to scavenge it from.

Ill be darn if you couldnt run a VM that supports firewire.

RealBlackStuff wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 12, 2025 4:41 am

This might work: https://www.ebay.com/itm/314882032202
Or find an old motherboard to scavenge it from.

Funnily enough, I bought one of those 5-packs off ebay.ca last night. C$3.77! & Free shipping, but not for 2 or 3 weeks.

TPFanatic » Sun Jan 12, 2025 5:43 am

Ill be darn if you couldnt run a VM that supports firewire.

Firewire ran OK on Windows 11 and I was able to capture video using WinDV. That is, until the T520 firewire jack broke! The 4-pin Firewire connectors are kind of fragile.

axur-delmeria wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 10, 2025 11:04 pm

Try Expresscard Firewire. I remember needing to buy one for my sister over a decade ago, because her old laptop had Firewire and the new one didn't.

I found an Expresscard 1394 card on an eBay auction. I posted a starting bid of C$1.00 and ended up being the low bidder However, shipping from Toronto (about 100 miles) was C$26! I knew that, but decided to bid not expecting to win and not holding much hope that it would work seeing it was used and was supported for only up to Windows Vista!

RealBlackStuff wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2025 4:41 am
This might work: https://www.ebay.com/itm/314882032202
Or find an old motherboard to scavenge it from.

Funnily enough, I bought one of those 5-packs off ebay.ca last night. C$3.77! & Free shipping, but not for 2 or 3 weeks.

Funnily enough, both arrived in mail today! I plugged the Expresscard into the T520 and Windows recognized it. It has TI X102200 chipset. I connected my videocam and was able to capture video from my old miniDV tapes!

1394 sockets stored away for future use - perhaps!

Well done!

For future reference I believe t61 and r61 have socketed firewire ports, as in if they break, they can actually be replaced.