Hi,

I live in the UK and recently purchased a USA made Presonus Firebox
firewire sound interface, which I am having a couple of problems with.

On first installing the Firebox, I installed the drivers, connected the
Firebox to my desktop PC using a 6 pin firewire cable (without using a
power supply) and bingo, the device was recognised. All was going well
until I restarted my PC. After that there seemed to be no power
supplied to the Firebox (no lights on) through the firewire bus. I have
removed the firewire card and installed it into all different PCI slots
but still no power reaches the Firebox.

I know the device can be powered purely on firewire power, as I have
had success with the same Firebox when I connected it to an Apple Mac
at work.

I have taken out my firewire card and installed it into a different pc
but I get the same result. No power to the Firebox.

I know that the firewire card is working as it recognises other
devices, so why would it stop powering the Firebox?

The last thing that I can think of for me to check is if there are any
bios settings that may affect this. Any other suggestions?

Could the problem be that I'm trying to power a USA device on a UK
computer? Is firewire bus power output a standard worldwide?

My other question is about powering the Firebox using a power supply. I
successfully powered the Firebox using its original power adapter and a
USA to UK step down transformer. The problem with this is that the step
down transformer created a buzzing/hum noise even without anything
plugged into it. This buzzing came through into my records, so using
the transformer is a no-go. My question is, what type of power supply
do I need?

The original USA plug has the following information on it:

AC Adapter
Class 2 Transformer
Input: 120 VAC 60Hz 23W
Output: 16 VAC 1000mA

On the back of the power input on the Firebox it says:

12 to 24 VDC
Or 15 VAC

It has been recommended that I purchase a power supply with:

AC
15 V
2.5 amps

Would this be ok to power the Firebox in the UK? If not, what power
supply do you recommend I use?

Thanks for your time, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Myke

myke.fitzgerald wrote ...
On first installing the Firebox, I installed the drivers, connected the
Firebox to my desktop PC using a 6 pin firewire cable (without using a
power supply) and bingo, the device was recognised. All was going well
until I restarted my PC. After that there seemed to be no power
supplied to the Firebox (no lights on) through the firewire bus. I have
removed the firewire card and installed it into all different PCI slots
but still no power reaches the Firebox.

I have no experience with that specific product, but remember
that "high-power" USB devices (which I am assuming the Firebox
is) must "negotiate" with the computer to get full-power. USB
ports do not automatically provide the full 500mA upon connection.

In article .com,
wrote:

On first installing the Firebox, I installed the drivers, connected the
Firebox to my desktop PC using a 6 pin firewire cable (without using a
power supply) and bingo, the device was recognised. All was going well
until I restarted my PC. After that there seemed to be no power
supplied to the Firebox (no lights on) through the firewire bus.

I know the device can be powered purely on firewire power, as I have
had success with the same Firebox when I connected it to an Apple Mac
at work.

In article ,
"Richard Crowley" wrote:

I have no experience with that specific product, but remember
that "high-power" USB devices (which I am assuming the Firebox
is) must "negotiate" with the computer to get full-power. USB
ports do not automatically provide the full 500mA upon connection.

Pardon me for asking an impertinent (and rhetorical) question, but WTF
does the amount of current supplied by USB have to do with problems on a
FireWire bus? Answer: nothing. SFA.

To the original poster: have you tried a different FireWire cable? Did
you try the Firebox on a Mac before or after you had problems on the
Windows comp? If it still works OK on the Mac, something is obviously
wrong with the PC's FireWire card. If it no longer powers up when you
connect it to a Mac, the PC's FireWire card may have generated higher
voltage or current than the Firebox was capable of dealing with. Check
to see if it's internally fused.

My question is, what type of power supply do I need?

The original USA plug has the following information on it:

Have you emailed Presonus tech support? If the Firebox isn't dead, I'd
definitely check with the manufacturer prior to purchasing a PS.

6 pin firewire is good in that it carrys power down the extra two legs-its
bad if you plug it in backwards and fry your firewire chip.

Mark

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I live in the UK and recently purchased a USA made Presonus Firebox
firewire sound interface, which I am having a couple of problems with.

On first installing the Firebox, I installed the drivers, connected the
Firebox to my desktop PC using a 6 pin firewire cable (without using a
power supply) and bingo, the device was recognised. All was going well
until I restarted my PC. After that there seemed to be no power
supplied to the Firebox (no lights on) through the firewire bus. I have
removed the firewire card and installed it into all different PCI slots
but still no power reaches the Firebox.

I know the device can be powered purely on firewire power, as I have
had success with the same Firebox when I connected it to an Apple Mac
at work.

I have taken out my firewire card and installed it into a different pc
but I get the same result. No power to the Firebox.

I know that the firewire card is working as it recognises other
devices, so why would it stop powering the Firebox?

The last thing that I can think of for me to check is if there are any
bios settings that may affect this. Any other suggestions?

Could the problem be that I'm trying to power a USA device on a UK
computer? Is firewire bus power output a standard worldwide?

My other question is about powering the Firebox using a power supply. I
successfully powered the Firebox using its original power adapter and a
USA to UK step down transformer. The problem with this is that the step
down transformer created a buzzing/hum noise even without anything
plugged into it. This buzzing came through into my records, so using
the transformer is a no-go. My question is, what type of power supply
do I need?

The original USA plug has the following information on it:

AC Adapter
Class 2 Transformer
Input: 120 VAC 60Hz 23W
Output: 16 VAC 1000mA

On the back of the power input on the Firebox it says:

12 to 24 VDC
Or 15 VAC

It has been recommended that I purchase a power supply with:

AC
15 V
2.5 amps

Would this be ok to power the Firebox in the UK? If not, what power
supply do you recommend I use?

Thanks for your time, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Myke