Cable to connect firewire to USB drive
 

Looking for a cable to connect these in the attached picture.

Hi there,

I don't recognize the left one, and I'm uncertain about the right one (could be Mini-USB, though).

But if you really want to connect a USB drive to a Firewire host, as indicated in the topic: No way.
They're not just different connectors, they're totally different systems. It's like you'd want to operate your garage door with your TV's remote.

I wonder, however, why you're asking this question. Usually, PCs come with an abundance of USB ports. And even if you're running out of USB ports, 1-to-4 hubs are widely and cheaply available.

[X] Doc CPU

Firewire is faster than usb 2.0 in data transfer. I would like the fastest transfer from my hard drive to an external drive.

Perhaps there is a usb plugin card for a usb 3.0 connection ?

Hi there,

yes, in theory it is. Sometimes in reality, too. But then you're gripping the wrong handle.

The total tranfer rate can't be faster than the slowest part. So if your external drive (or rather, the USB/SATA chip built into the enclosure) supports USB 2.0 "only", you don't gain anything if you connect it to a host that could go faster.

Does your computer have USB 3.0 ports? If yes, I'd recommend you to buy a USB3 enclosure and put the HDD into that one. They're available from about 10 Euros and up (in Germany).
Likewise, if your computer has Firewire, but no USB3, look out for a HDD enclosure with a firewire chip in it. They're a bit more expensive than the USB ones, and not as widely advertised, though.

[X] Doc CPU

The external drive supports 3.0.

I just ordered this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/400664099498

It uses my express card slot to give me 2 USB 3.0 ports.

It should give up to 10X faster data transfers.

Hi there,

ah, I hadn't thought of that. The connector in your picture looks like a plain USB 2.0 to me.

No. ;-)
Actually, it should be a lot faster than USB 2.0, but with 3.0, the HDD itself will become the limiting factor. USB 2.0 HDDs typically achieve about 30MB/sec, some up to 35MB/sec. That's about the limit of USB 2.0. Going to USB 3.0, I guess you'll end up with a transfer rate of 60..80MB/s, which is then the limit of the HDD itself.

So expect a factor of 2..3, which is still a good leap forward, especially if you're copying large quantities of data.

[X] Doc CPU

You MISSED where I posted that my drive is 3.0.:-)

My mother was born in Hannover.

I have been 2 Hildesheim and Steinhude.

Hi,

The left connector looks like usb 3.0. Although a less used type, because it only partial compatible with usb 1.0 and 2.0. If you lookup usb and usb 3.0 on wikipedia they will have pictures of that type of usb 3.0.

The right connector looks indeed like a firewire connector.

Cheers.

By far the simplest solution is to purchase an empty box that sports the fastest type of connector that your computer has, and to put the disk-drive mechanism into that box. (Less than $50 USD.) Now, instead of cobbling something up, you have a matched-set of components that's designed to do the job you have. The proper cable will be included.

Carefully remove the drive from its present enclosure so that you can see what kind of internal connector it uses. (You can look up the factory specifications for that particular model-number online, to see the "lingo" they use to describe it.) You can then buy, for a very low price, a box that has exactly the combination of internal and external connections that you need. Popping the drive into it will then take five minutes with a small screwdriver, if that. Should you have made a mistake, any reputable vendor will take it in return and be sure that you do wind up with what you want and need.

Sell the box that you have on eBay, since you can say it's surplus and that you know it works. (My local electronics store gave me a little credit for a box that I had, when I bought a new one from them. That's pretty routine.)

Using the 3.0 card in the express card slot brought my speed from 2.0 to 40 Mbps. :-)