Topic: Fireface 400 W7 No bus power

Hi, new RME user here.

So far everything appears to work Perfectly on my MBP but on my Windows desktop...

I have no bus power, it turns on briefly as the PC switches on.
I have followed the instructions to install the legacy driver and still no luck.
I have also updated the FF400 flash.

Also is it normal not to be able to change the buffer size within Pro Tools, I am able to on the Mac but not Windows 7.

Thanks

Re: Fireface 400 W7 No bus power

What kind of FW connection is this on the desktop? Does it work with PSU?
Latency is set in the FF settings on WIndows.

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Re: Fireface 400 W7 No bus power

Hi Daniel,

Thanks for your reply.
The firewire port is a TI FW400 port and Yes it does work with a PSU, I just don't want this to be a sign of future problems.

Re: Fireface 400 W7 No bus power

Onboard or PCI/e?

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Re: Fireface 400 W7 No bus power

Both onboard and PCI/e

Re: Fireface 400 W7 No bus power

Strange - got any other bus powered FW devices to test here?
Also check with FW interface hardware manufacturers whether bus power is provided.

Regards,
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

7 (edited by Gonk 2011-07-01 00:12:30)

Re: Fireface 400 W7 No bus power

It is strange, I have been running a cheaper brand Firewire interface before getting the FF400 today, so yes that and some external hard drives seem to be able to receive power from the Firewire bus.

I don't mind using the PSU that came with the FF400 and as I said before it seems to work perfectly running bus powered off my MBP so I don't think it's a problem with the unit.
I thought it may have been a problem with Windows/PC and the FF's driver as it seemed to be a odd way of installing the drivers, thanks to Microsoft.

One thing that may be worth mentioning is that I had install the drivers before windows would recognise the FF, usually when plugging something new in it goes through a whole "new device discovered" which it didn't this time, is this normal?

Thanks so much for your help!! :-)

Oh I also tried using a different FW cable with no luck either.

Re: Fireface 400 W7 No bus power

My guess is that your other devices draw less power/wattage than the FF400 and that the FW port on your PC provides too little juice.

Re: Fireface 400 W7 No bus power

Hey Timur,
I think you may be right, on a side note I have to say how pleased I am with the FF400 and how easy it is to use Totalmix, compared to the previous so called "good for it's price" interface I had this is a major step up not only in convertor quality but user experience and having a manual rather than a 2 page pamphlet is great as well, high quality FW cable, ADAT cable all in the box

Outstanding product, my first interface that isn't just hype!

Thank you RME!!

10 (edited by Patanjali 2011-07-10 04:54:10)

Re: Fireface 400 W7 No bus power

You know it needs a bit of juice because the FF400 gets quite warm.

I was surprised that my FF800 couldn't bus-power it, though.

It is surprising that a desktop doesn't provide enough power. Usually it is laptops that scrimp on their port power capabilities, but it is totally dependent upon the laptop make and their design philosophy.

On music hiatus, so RMEs have gone to homes where others can enjoy them.