Black Box Explains... FireWire
FireWire.
Also known as IEEE 1394, FireWire is a hardware and software standard for transporting data at 100, 200 or 400 Mbps. This high-performance serial bus is an offshoot of the Universal Serial Bus (USB). You can plug and unplug external devices such as disk drives, printers, and scanners. And since FireWire has a universal connector, you don’t have to search through a myriad of odd-shaped connectors when you do need to reach a plug.
FireWire’s two shielded twisted pairs for data signaling and two power conductors maintain physical-layer continuity when a device is unplugged, so you can connect and disconnect peripherals without shutting down your systems. The entire cable is also shielded.
IEEE 1394 connectors are flexible yet durable and have no terminators or manual IDs to set.
FireWire uses both 6-pin and 4-pin connectors. The extra two pins carry the power for FireWire peripherals that require power. AC-powered or battery-powered peripherals use the 4-pin connector.
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