How to use FireWire for innovative new designs without distance constraints

Les Baxter, Baxter Enterprises
EETimes (8/8/2010 10:39 PM EDT)

Editor's note: The following paper by Les Baxter was first posted on IEEE 1394 Trade Association's web site under the title "IEEE 1394 ideal for long-haul automotive, consumer, industrial, security, and PC applications." The article is reproduced here in full with additional information specific to industrial applications, provided by IEEE 1394 Trade Association.

Since 1995, FireWire has been a proven and popular interface for short haul audio and video transfer in PCs, storage products, and consumer electronics. To date over 1 billion ports have shipped. Now the 1394b version of FireWire (known as Beta mode), which runs at up to 3,200 megabits per second, is becoming an interface of choice for innovative and advanced long-haul applications. Since the publication of the 1394 Copper Automotive Specification in 2008, there has been significant interest in FireWire for automotive applications as well.

It's a common misconception that IEEE 1394 links are limited to 4.5 m in length. This perception is no doubt caused by the statement found in the IEEE 1394 standard that all three types of cables (4-, 6-, and 9-pin) have "a suggested maximum length of 4.5 m." The 1394 standard goes on to point out that longer length cables are possible, but this has been largely overlooked and misunderstood. Additionally, IEEE 1394-2008 contains several clauses that specify long-haul media, which can support much longer distances.

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