[LAU] firewire-thunderbolt adapter?

[David W. Jones]

On October 6, 2017 10:24:33 AM HST, David Kastrup <dak at gnu.org> wrote:
> Bernardo Barros <bernardo.barros-RWB/UN2hA5c at public.gmane.org> writes:
> 
> > On 10/3/17 17:50, David Kastrup wrote:
> >> Do modern laptops still have Expresscard slots?
> >
> > So it works for you?
> 
> I have one Expresscard with IT chipset
> 
> 05:00.0 PCI bridge: Texas Instruments XIO2000(A)/XIO2200A PCI
> Express-to-PCI Bridge (rev 03)
> 06:00.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments XIO2200A
> IEEE-1394a-2000 Controller (PHY/Link) (rev 01)
> 
> that works for me _if_ I boot with the card (there are some ways of
> removing and reinserting it that will also keep it working, but you
> have
> to have booted with it first, and reinsertion while the laptop is live
> rather than asleep in some manner won't do either).
> 
> That's usually the one advertised as "with TI chipset".  Some reports
> of
> Linux/Firewire users/developers decry the internal PCIx/PCI bridge as
> slow and buggy and I suspect it to be responsible for the hotplugging
> problems, but when booting with it, this has been the most reliable
> Firewire interface for me yet (only tested 400Mbps ones, including the
> Ricoh built into the T61 laptop).
> 
> I have one that is proper PCIe without bridge.  Let me check:
> 
> 05:00.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): VIA Technologies, Inc. VT6315 Series
> Firewire Controller
> 
> This one has smaller buffers and will crash/hang sometimes.
> 
> I also have some Cardbus card (some NEC chip) which will not enter
> synchronous connections (astonishingly, it will work with an Apple
> iSight camera but not with audio cards).  Basically, Cardbus was no
> longer of interest when the "new Firewire stack" was created, and the
> old one is no longer available.  So don't weep after Cardbus cards. 
> Not
> that you likely can, anyway.
> 
> > I will verify if thinkpads still have expresscard. I was by a
> System76
> > employee that although their models have expresscard, it won't work
> > just like a firewire IO
> 
> The Expresscards are OEMed to silliness.  My good one (Delock, TI
> XIO2200A) has a sequence of equal-length ridges across it.  The
> problematic one (MS-Tech, Via VT6315) has a sequence of increasing
> size
> ellipse indentations across it.  Either are 34mm Expresscards, have a
> connector for 12V at the side and two 6-pin IEEE1394a connectors at
> the
> front.
> 
> You'll probably find a slew of other providers for the same cards,
> differing only in the product labels glued on.  It's stupid to go by
> plastic ridges, but probably more reliable than the product name
> unless
> a particular chipset is documented.

I have a System76 laptop. There's no Expresscard port on it.

--
David W. Jones
gnome at hawaii.rr.com
authenticity, honesty, community
http://dancingtreefrog.com

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