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chris v · Jan 6, 2005, 10:22 PM

Most of the cards listed on OWC's website have *NOT G5 COMPATIBLE! in the description, except for a couple really expensive FW 800 &400 cards. I just need 3 or 4 FW 400 inputs. Apple has nothing for sale at their website at all. Help?

UnixMac · Jan 7, 2005, 12:09 PM

I have tried Sonnet, Belkin, and dr. Bot and all of them have caused various problems with my G5, I gave up on the idea of a PCI FW/USB card and all have caused some kind of problem on my G5... When someone finds a card that is truly 100% compatible with the G5, sleep, etc.. then I'll get one.

jamerican · Jan 7, 2005, 01:32 PM

I bought 2 X 2 Firewire 400 PCI cards from OWC in December which I installed in my G5 2.0 Dual and they are working fine. If I remember they cost me about $19 each. Call one of the sales reps instead of trying to buy online. Hope this helps.

chris v · Jan 7, 2005, 01:45 PM

I eneded up ordering a Sonnet Allegro FW400A, which they list as compatible. I don't care about sleep, as I never sleep my machine. Hopefully, it'll work as advertised.

UnixMac · Jan 7, 2005, 05:26 PM

Good luck, mine caused more problems than just sleep... The computer was just unstable when I had it plugged in... as soon as I took it out, like magic it all worked as advertised,

chris v · Jan 7, 2005, 06:05 PM

Maybe you had the older one? There is a note on their site saying the former FW400 was incompartible, but the newer FW400A works.

fingers crossed, though at least one person on the Apple discussion boards reports this card working fine in G5s.

UnixMac · Jan 7, 2005, 06:08 PM

Please keep me posted then, I may go and get a new one if this one in fact works

ThisGuy · Jan 15, 2005, 11:15 AM

any updates?

UnixMac · Jan 15, 2005, 12:42 PM

Originally posted by ThisGuy:
any updates?

yeah... any updates?

chris v · Jan 15, 2005, 03:04 PM

I've had it in the machine for about three days. Devices hook up to it and show up in the Finder like they're supposed to, and I haven't noticed any odd behavior. Been up and running for 2 days, 18 hours.

It doesn't appear to go into total sleep, now that I check, though. When I tell it to sleep, iTunes stops playing, the monitors go dark, but the fans don't stop spinning and the light on the front of the tower doesn't pulse. I don't know that I ever slept the tower prior to installing the card though, so I can't say for certain that it's responsible. Sleep is not importnt to me, since I'm usually running some sort of DC program and my pirate radio station 24/7.

UnixMac · Jan 15, 2005, 03:33 PM

Originally posted by chris v:
I've had it in the machine for about three days. Devices hook up to it and show up in the Finder like they're supposed to, and I haven't noticed any odd behavior. Been up and running for 2 days, 18 hours.

It doesn't appear to go into total sleep, now that I check, though. When I tell it to sleep, iTunes stops playing, the monitors go dark, but the fans don't stop spinning and the light on the front of the tower doesn't pulse. I don't know that I ever slept the tower prior to installing the card though, so I can't say for certain that it's responsible. Sleep is not importnt to me, since I'm usually running some sort of DC program and my pirate radio station 24/7.

So when it sleeps, it doesn't go into "Deep sleep"... odd, in my case it would go into "deep sleep" then all of a sudden, the fans would spool up to max and the computer would be locked into sleep, no wake up!

Your system is a Dual G5?

chris v · Jan 15, 2005, 04:25 PM

Originally posted by UnixMac:
So when it sleeps, it doesn't go into "Deep sleep"... odd, in my case it would go into "deep sleep" then all of a sudden, the fans would spool up to max and the computer would be locked into sleep, no wake up!

Your system is a Dual G5?

Dual 2.0, rev A. I've put it to sleep and woken it up three or four times, and it wakes up fine, but apparently not truly deep sleep. This could also be attributed to the Delta 44 card, though, as it's quite old, and had to go back to M-Audio for a patch of some sort before it could even be installed. (I think they re-set it from 5v. to 3.3v.)

UnixMac · Jan 15, 2005, 04:50 PM

Originally posted by chris v:
Dual 2.0, rev A. I've put it to sleep and woken it up three or four times, and it wakes up fine, but apparently not truly deep sleep. This could also be attributed to the Delta 44 card, though, as it's quite old, and had to go back to M-Audio for a patch of some sort before it could even be installed. (I think they re-set it from 5v. to 3.3v.)

Well, I guess its worth a try..

ThisGuy · Jan 18, 2005, 09:31 AM

here's some more info on pci cards for the G5:
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/G5/G5_usb...e_reports.html

UnixMac · Jan 19, 2005, 01:38 AM

Originally posted by ThisGuy:
here's some more info on pci cards for the G5:
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/G5/G5_usb...e_reports.html

Reads like a real mess... I wonder how hard could it be to get a USB/FireWire card that just works without any bugs!

Must be pretty darn hard!

southtdi · Jan 19, 2005, 03:31 PM

I have been running an adpatec duoconnect usb/ firewire 400 card for close to 6 months now in my dual 2.0 G5.

So far I have not had any problems but the waking from sleep issue right after I would put the computer to sleep. It would do that once then go to sleep as it should. Since the 10.3.7 update that seems to have been resolved. Other than that the card has worked flwlessly and never given me a problem. Everything shows up in system profiler that is supposed to and always has.

Don't know if that helps but that has been my experience with it. I did have to shop a whle until I was able to use an online deal to get it for $40.

UnixMac · Jan 19, 2005, 05:12 PM

Originally posted by southtdi:
I have been running an adpatec duoconnect usb/ firewire 400 card for close to 6 months now in my dual 2.0 G5.

So far I have not had any problems but the waking from sleep issue right after I would put the computer to sleep. It would do that once then go to sleep as it should. Since the 10.3.7 update that seems to have been resolved. Other than that the card has worked flwlessly and never given me a problem. Everything shows up in system profiler that is supposed to and always has.

Don't know if that helps but that has been my experience with it. I did have to shop a whle until I was able to use an online deal to get it for $40.

so let me get this straight, with 10.3.7 you have no issues what so ever? or do you still get the sleep issue? And I didn't get what you mean about not waking the first time.... if it doesn't wake, what can you do other than power it off with the power button?

southtdi · Jan 20, 2005, 12:07 PM

Originally posted by UnixMac:
so let me get this straight, with 10.3.7 you have no issues what so ever? or do you still get the sleep issue? And I didn't get what you mean about not waking the first time.... if it doesn't wake, what can you do other than power it off with the power button?

Correct, i no longer have any issues since I upgraded to 10.3.7. The problem I was having with sleep is the computer would wake back up a minute or so after I put it to sleep the first time. In the card instructions it said to disable the sleep setting but I didn't. Anyway, if you put it back to sleep a second time it would stay that way without any problem.

Nothing was mentioned on Apple's website about having any fix for this issue in 10.3.7 but since then it's been fine. the last coouple or panther revisions before that didn't do anything to it.

UnixMac · Jan 20, 2005, 12:46 PM

Originally posted by southtdi:
Correct, i no longer have any issues since I upgraded to 10.3.7. The problem I was having with sleep is the computer would wake back up a minute or so after I put it to sleep the first time. In the card instructions it said to disable the sleep setting but I didn't. Anyway, if you put it back to sleep a second time it would stay that way without any problem.

Nothing was mentioned on Apple's website about having any fix for this issue in 10.3.7 but since then it's been fine. the last coouple or panther revisions before that didn't do anything to it.

Odd, I had a problem where it would go to sleep, but then remain in deep sleep for while (unable to be awakened) and then the fans would kick on full blast as the OS lost control overthem and the computer became completely unresponsive.

Now, I am using a USB card which is working fine, with the exception that my F14/F15 keys intermittently don't work for dim/bright my monitor...

ThisGuy · Jan 21, 2005, 12:19 AM

i called OWC today and the sales guy told me there are no G5 compatible PCI FireWire or USB cards that they sell.

chris v · Jan 21, 2005, 10:17 AM

Okay, I've had two hard freezes in the ten days since I installed this card. One in which the GUI was gone, but the system was still running (could SSH in from laptop, iTunes kept playing) and one where everything went stone dead. I'm not prepared to blame the card yet, but compared to the G4 at work (uptime 73 days-- about normal) it's not that stable. If it happens again in less than a week, I'll get down to isolating it.

Jo�o L�cio · Jan 21, 2005, 04:33 PM

I have a USB2 PCI - http://www.macally-europe.com/produc...hp?product=301 - card from Macally on my dual 2GHz G5. It works great. They also have a FireWire 400 card - http://www.macally-europe.com/produc...hp?product=302 - and by the specs it should work as well (they say that all their PCI cards work on a G5). I have ordered this card and I'll post the results when I get it.

UnixMac · Jan 21, 2005, 06:52 PM

Originally posted by chris v:
Okay, I've had two hard freezes in the ten days since I installed this card. One in which the GUI was gone, but the system was still running (could SSH in from laptop, iTunes kept playing) and one where everything went stone dead. I'm not prepared to blame the card yet, but compared to the G4 at work (uptime 73 days-- about normal) it's not that stable. If it happens again in less than a week, I'll get down to isolating it.

See... that is not normal.. I wonder if anyone has a new Apple display that they could also test the F14/F15 key issue.

These cards are all designed as GENERIC PCI cards and not specifically for the G5... Either Apple needs to make one, or some one needs to go back to the drawing board and do it.

jasonsRX7 · Feb 6, 2005, 01:02 AM

I have been using a DuoConnect card in my G5 for maybe a year now, and have never had any problems with it until recently. I first noticed it when I used my iSight and the frame rate was really slow. I moved the iSight to the built in FW port and it worked fine. Then, I tried to sync my iPod and it was going sooo slow. I put the iPod on the built in FW port and, once again, problem resolved. I'm not sure if the FW ports on the DuoConnect have gone bad, or if some update recently has caused problems, but nothing I've tried will make them work properly again. I've power off, swapped slots, repaired permissions, etc. The USB ports on the card work fine.

Any ideas?

UnixMac · Feb 6, 2005, 10:50 AM

Well, I tried to use my ForMac USB 2.0 card to add ports so I can keep my Nikon digital USB2.0 cable pluged in and for what ever reason, iphoto's import locks up with that arrangement.. If I turn around and plug it into the front USB port, then it works just fine...

Oddly, the NikonView software that came with the camera is unaffected.

I would hope that Apple is genuinely worried about such behavior on something as basic as USB and Firewire expansion cards.

Please fix this in Tiger!

chris v · Feb 6, 2005, 12:30 PM

For what it's worth, the Firewire card and the G5 have been functioning fine since the last restart, 16 days, now. I've got an iPod and an external hard drive plugged in to it. Transfer rates seem right, but sometimes the iPod can take a while to unmount-- mainly when iTuns is open. No iTunes, it's pretty quick, so that's prolly a software thing.