# USB to firewire cable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-to-firewire-cable/293260 "2005-03-06T23:13:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-to-firewire-cable/293260/1 "2005-03-06T23:13:27Z")
I bought an iPod Shuffle a month ago, and finally received notice that it will be shipping-- which prompted me to cruise various message boards, and realize that my new toy will not work with my eMac. The reason why is obscure-- apparently the USB port on the Shuffle is 1/32 of an inch too short to connect to the high-powered side USB ports on my eMac, and it will sync, but not charge off the low-powered USB ports on my keyboard (this might be alleviated by upgrading my OS, but it’s still iffy). However, my wife has this nice 3G ipod, with a charger that has quite a bit of downtime; it accepts the squat end of a Firewire cable. So… does anyone know of the existence of a cable that will let me connect my Shuffle to that standard iPod charger? A USB plug on one end, and a Firewire plug on the other? [sub]Yes I know I can buy a USB extender, but I figure if I have to buy a cable, I might as well buy something that lets me charge my Shuffle when my computer isn’t turned on. And the notion of buying a Shuffle-specific charger just irks me…[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2005, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-to-firewire-cable/293260/2 "2005-03-06T23:24:37Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > I bought an iPod Shuffle a month ago, and finally received notice that it will be shipping-- which prompted me to cruise various message boards, and realize that my new toy will not work with my eMac. > > The reason why is obscure-- apparently the USB port on the Shuffle is 1/32 of an inch too short to connect to the high-powered side USB ports on my eMac, and it will sync, but not charge off the low-powered USB ports on my keyboard (this might be alleviated by upgrading my OS, but it’s still iffy). > > However, my wife has this nice 3G ipod, with a charger that has quite a bit of downtime; it accepts the squat end of a Firewire cable. > > So… does anyone know of the existence of a cable that will let me connect my Shuffle to that standard iPod charger? A USB plug on one end, and a Firewire plug on the other? > > [sub]Yes I know I can buy a USB extender, but I figure if I have to buy a cable, I might as well buy something that lets me charge my Shuffle when my computer isn’t turned on. And the notion of buying a Shuffle-specific charger just irks me…[/sub] The two standards are utterly incompatible. While there are cables with modular ends to allow Firewire _or_ USB use There is no USB to Firewire conversion cable. Just get a tiny 2 or 4 port USB2 hub for $ 20.00 and plug it into your MAC. The input on the powered hub should be a standard sized USB. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-to-firewire-cable/293260/3 "2005-03-07T06:27:36Z")
Even cheaper, just get a 1’ or 3’ USB extension cord, and keep it plugged in to your eMac’s powered USB port. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-to-firewire-cable/293260/4 "2005-03-07T08:16:38Z")
Alternatively there are a number of devices that just provide power through a USB connector; you can get them to fit car lighter sockets and I think you can get ‘wall wart’ types that plug straight into your domestic supply. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-to-firewire-cable/293260/5 "2005-03-07T15:46:13Z")
Am I ornery this morning, or are people just not reading the bits of the OP where I mention my awareness of specific USB wall-chargers, and that I know I can buy a USB extension cable? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-to-firewire-cable/293260/6 "2005-03-07T21:23:27Z")
You’re looking for a complex solution when a simple one will do. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-to-firewire-cable/293260/7 "2005-03-08T03:00:49Z")
My WallStreet was born with neither USB nor FireWire, so its FireWire ports can’t serve as the power source for a drive and cannot charge an iPod, but I can load music onto an attached iPod as long as it’s freshly charged. You should be able to do likewise. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-to-firewire-cable/293260/8 "2005-03-08T08:25:00Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > Am I ornery this morning, or are people just not reading the bits of the OP where I mention my awareness of specific USB wall-chargers, and that I know I can buy a USB extension cable? You mentioned shuttle-specific wall chargers; I’m talking about relatively inexpensive generic ones that will provide power (and only power) for any USB device; I mentioned this on the offchance that you or someone else reading this thread might find the information useful. I won’t bother next time. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-to-firewire-cable/293260/9 "2005-03-08T20:33:31Z")
I decided to go with the simplest solution of all, since my Shuffle arrived today: carve a bit out of the case of my eMac so the thing will fit into the USB port.