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Table of Contents Page USERS GUIDE How FireWire Works Connecting FireWire Devices Drivers and OS Issues System Requirements Macintosh OS 9.xx, OS X Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP Updating the firmware 3-4 5-6 7-8 9 10 11-12 DRIVE INSTALLATION Removing the Hot-Swap Tray Installing the Drive Testing the Drive Troubleshooting Specifications Warranty & Service 13-14 15-17 18 19-22 23 24 Granite Digital • 3101 Whipple Rd. • Union City, Ca. 94587 www.granitedigital.
USERS GUIDE Page 3 How FireWire Works FireWire (IEEE-1394) is a High Performance Serial Bus designed to go up to 800Mbits per second. This ultra-fast data transfer rate is perfect for storage applications using hard drives, cd-roms, optical drives, and tape drives. It is also the solution of choice for digital video camcorders and digital audio. The Firewire Bus allows up to 63 devices to be daisy-chained together.
Page 4 USERS GUIDE How FireWire Works In order to get FireWire to perform at its maximum speed, the following items should be considered: 1) The bridge chip (our cases uses the Initio or Oxford) must be capable of running 400Mbits / second (FW 400) or 800Mbits / second (FW 800). There are many bridge chips that are installed in cases that do not perform at this level. Additionally, we are one of a few manufacturers that actually writes the firmware for the Oxford parts.
USERS GUIDE Page 5 Connecting FireWire Devices There are basically two ways to connect FireWire devices together. The first way is by simply daisy-chaining the devices together and powering them all on. You must power all of the devices because each device actually acts as a signal repeater. This unique FireWire 1394 design allows for the use of longer cables and more connected devices. See the diagram below.
Page 6 USERS GUIDE Connecting FireWire Devices The HUB below is a 6 port model. There are smaller and larger models available and HUBs can be daisy-chained together for virtually limitless expansion. Computer CD ROM CD ROM Camera HUB CD ROM Hard Drive Hard Drive Hard Drive Hard Drive Hard Drive Hard Drive Hard Drive DVD Drive Granite Digital • 3101 Whipple Rd. • Union City, Ca. 94587 www.granitedigital.
USERS GUIDE Page 7 Drivers and OS Issues - System Requirements Macintosh Computers : The G3 was one of the first computers to offer FireWire as an on-board port. These machines like the rest of the Apple products use a 6-pin connector. The 6-pin connector supplies bus power, as opposed to the 4-pin connector on cameras and on some laptops that do not offer bus power. The new G5’s also supports the 800Mbps 9 pin connector.
Page 8 USERS GUIDE Drivers and OS Issues - System Requirements Windows Computers : FireWire is supported by Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, and XP. The drivers necessary for running FireWire is on the Microsoft Installation CD. Most of the time these files are automatically installed at installation time, however, if they were not, access the Microsoft CD and install them separately. This is especially true with 98SE and ME. The other item needed to run FireWire devices is a PCI or CARDBUS FireWire Card.
USERS GUIDE Page 9 Drivers and OS Issues - Macintosh OS 9.xx, OS X Apple introduced FireWire with OS 8.6. Since this introduction, many advances have been made. We recommend running OS 9.2.2 when using FireWire. This newer version of the OS uses the latest FireWire extensions, FireWire Enabler 2.8.6 and FireWire Support 2.8.6. These two files are needed to run FireWire and this latest version fixes many previous bugs. If you must run an older OS, we recommend using these two files from 9.2.
Page 10 USERS GUIDE Drivers and OS Issues - Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP Windows 98SE (second edition) was the first MicroSoft OS version that included support for FireWire 1394. This first implementation does not operate as efficiently as the newer versions of the MicroSoft OS family and speeds will be slower when running this Operating System. This was Microsoft's first OS with FireWire support but it is not as good as what is currently available in the newer OS's.
USERS GUIDE Page 11 Update Firmware All of our FW 400 bridge boards contain a special flash memory that allows them to easily be updated. Usually the only reason that a bridge board needs to be updated is if a new drive comes out and the board is not compatible with it. Updating should only be done with the drive mechanism not mounted. This is done by either throwing the drive in the trash (Macintosh) or stopping the drive (Windows).
Page 12 USERS GUIDE Updating Firmware The Relax/Granite Field Upgrade Utility can be downloaded from our web site, www.granitedigital.com. We have versions for Mac and Windows. Once installed, launch this application and check the serial number and version of your bridge board that is installed in the case. The letters ATA should also appear under Dev1. Included with the “Field Upgrade Utilitity” is our FireWire Browser. This application displays everything that is attached to your FireWire bus.
DRIVE INSTALLATION Page 13 Removing the Hot-Swap Tray We have designed our Hot-Swap System to be as simple as possible when installing a hard drive mechanism. The tray is easily removed from the frame by pulling on the handle. Removing the tray allows you to swap drives in and out quickly and easily. Removing the tray is done by lifting the handle up and gently pulling out the tray. Make sure that the key lock is in the unlocked position before trying to remove the tray.
Page 14 DRIVE INSTALLATION Removing the Hot-Swap Tray The Tray should be placed on a flat work service. When installing the hard drive, static electricity can cause damage to the drive mechanism. Take care to make sure you are grounded properly and are working on a surface that is not prone to static discharge. One way to add a little security is to touch something that has a good ground before touching the drive mechanism.
DRIVE INSTALLATION Page 15 Installing the Drive *** Note that the drive must be set to the Master position (this is done with a set of jumpers on the rear of the drive mechanism). The Master position should be labeled on the the drive mechanism, but if it is not, jumper settings will be available on any drive manufacturer’s website. Leaving the drive in a setting other than Master will make the drive malfunction when used with our tray.
Page 16 DRIVE INSTALLATION Installing the Drive There are two different types of screws used on drive mechanisms. We supply both types. Test the screws to make sure they are the correct size. The top slides on two rails and locks into place. Make sure that both sides are even when the top is slid on. Using a phillips head screw driver install the (4) mounting screws that hold the drive in place. These screws secure the drive and guarantee that it will be properly grounded when inserted into the system.
DRIVE INSTALLATION Page 17 Installing the Drive When the tray is flush with the front it has been inserted correctly. Now you can turn the key lock and power the drive mechanism up. The tray slides back into the Hot-Swap System with very little effort. As the tray reaches the last 1/4 inch, push it in using the handle. The tray will now be flush with the front and has seated properly. Never force the tray into place and always make sure there is nothing in the opening before you insert it.
Page 18 DRIVE INSTALLATION Testing the Drives Green Drive Power LED Key Lock Power Switch Drive Activity LEDs Green Case Power LED Without connecting the drive to the computer, plug in the power cable and turn the drive on using the main power switch on the front of the case. The Green Power LED on the case should come on immediately. Next use one of the keys that are supplied with the system and lock the tray in place.
DRIVE INSTALLATION Page 19 Troubleshooting 1- THE DRIVE DOESN'T MOUNT: The easiest way to diagnose what is going on with a drive that will not appear is to figure out if the hardware is working correctly. Do this by using our “Field Upgrade Utility” that is available for download on our website, www.granitedigital.com. Once you have downloaded the utility, launching it shows you a window similar to the one below. The Field Upgrade Utility can be used as a diagnostic tool.
Page 20 DRIVE INSTALLATION Troubleshooting if it was a Windows drive, there is also the chance that the drive will not mount. To reinitialize a drive in this state use the diagnostic menu on our LCD module and quick erase the drive. Then plug the drive into the Macintosh and the window to initialize the drive will appear as soon as the drive mechanism comes up to speed. Use Extended HFS+ on your partition selection.
DRIVE INSTALLATION Page 21 Troubleshooting 3- THE DRIVE DOES NOT RUN AS FAST AS IT SHOULD: FireWire bus speed is determined by four things: 1- The drive performance level. Faster drives (7200rpm) have higher data transfer rates and make a difference in speed. Larger buffer size also improves drive performance. 2- The bridge technology. In this case you have chosen the fastest case available. Our Hot-Swap System will transfer up to 80MB/s (Megabytes per second).
Page 22 DRIVE INSTALLATION Troubleshooting Granite Digital • 3101 Whipple Rd. • Union City, Ca. 94587 www.granitedigital.
Page 23 Specifications DIMENSIONS : Varies, check spec. sheet on website - Fits a 3.5” IDE Drive Mechanism of any capacity. POWER SUPPLY : 60W-2, 200W-4, 300W-8 TUV/CE/UL/CSA 90-264 VAC Universal AC In. Output +5V -- +12V DATA TRANSFER RATE : 400 / 800 Mbit/second (actual speed depends upon the drive and the computer, see pages 3 and 4 for details) DEVICE SUPPORT : 3.
Page 24 Warranty and Service Granite Digital warrants your FireVue Hot-Swap System against any defects in material and workmanship, under normal use, for a period of one year following its date of purchase. In the event this product is found to be defective within the warranty period, Granite Digital will, at its option, repair or replace the defective unit.
