MOTU Track16 - Desktop Studio FireWire/USB 2.0 Interface - Manual (Page 29)

I N S T A L L I N G T H E T R A C K 1 6 H A R D W A R E
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Figure 4-6: 4-pin FireWire connectors cannot be used for bus power.
When operating under bus power, daisy-chaining
is not recommended
The Track16 can be daisy-chained with other
FireWire devices from a single FireWire
connection to the computer. However, if the
Track16 is operating under bus power, this is not
recommended. If you need to daisy chain the
Track16 with other devices on the same FireWire
bus, power the Track16 with the included power
adapter. The other devices on the chain should also
have their own power supply. In general, bus-
powered FireWire devices should not be daisy-
chained.
FireWire adapter products must be powered
If you are using a FireWire adapter (a third-party
product that supplies one or more FireWire ports
to your computer), it must have direct access to a
power supply:
■
PCI FireWire cards — If you plan to connect the
Track16 to a PCI card and run the Track16 under
bus power, the PCI card must have a direct
connection to the power supply harness inside
your computer. This is the same power supply
harness to which you connect internal hard drives,
CD/DVD drives, etc.
■
PCMCIA or ExpressCard slot adapters — If you
plan to connect the Track16 to a card adapter
(inserted in the card slot in your laptop), it must
provide a 6-pin or 9-pin connection and it must
also have its own power supply. Most commonly,
these types of products have a DC power adapter.
As you can see, however, this situation does not
allow for remote battery operation, as the PC card
adapter requires AC.
Examples of bus-powered operation
Here are a few typical examples of bus-powered
Track16 operation:
Bus power from a desktop computer
Your desktop computer is running off of its usual
AC power connection, and the Track16 draws
power from the FireWire cable connected to the
computer. There are no limits to running time.
Bus power from an AC-powered laptop
This scenario is identical to the desktop situation
described above: the laptop is powered by AC, the
Track16 is powered via the FireWire bus and there
are no limits to running time.
Bus power from a battery-powered laptop
The laptop is being powered by its own battery, and
the Track16 is being powered by its FireWire
connection to the computer. So the laptop battery
is supplying power to both the laptop and the
Track16. This is the most compact and portable
operating scenario. Running time is determined by
the capacity of the laptop battery. For extended
recording sessions, bring extra, fully charged
laptop batteries.
DC power supply
If you do not want the Track16 to draw power from
the computer, and AC power is available, you can
power the Track16 from any standard 9-18 volt,
5 watt DC power supply with any polarity (tip
positive or negative), and amperage as shown
below.
6-pin FireWire
4-pin FireWire
✓ ✗
YES
NO
Voltage Amperage
9 volts 1.33 amps
12 volts 1 amp
18 volts 0.66 amps