New FireWire design guide ready from 1394 Trade Association

SAN FRANCISCO, USA: The 1394 Trade Association today issued its new 2010 FireWire Design Guide, which details the guidelines for implementing FireWire (IEEE 1394) ports on high level complex devices such as personal computers and automobiles, and on simple devices such as consumer electronics products.

The new guide, which is available on the 1394 Trade Association website, includes references to normative specifications as well as full reference designs that can be used as is or -- with the careful consideration of the trade-offs -- as a starting point for an optimized proven design.

It also includes a comprehensive checklist of all of the factors and specifications a designer who plans to use 1394 should look for, from 1394-compliant connectors to a full range of power and configuration issues. There are chapters on mechanical issues, robust port design (ESD & Late VG), system design, cable power, link selection, firmware/higher layers and layout recommendations. Each section includes a full set of illustrations to complement the text.

A large group of 1394 Trade Association leaders and members contributed to the development and completion of the Design Guide, including Chairman Max Bassler of Littelfuse; Vice Chair Richard Mourn of Astek Corporation; Eric Anderson and Colin Whitby-Strevens of Apple; Toni Ray of Texas Instruments, who serves as the Trade Association editor; Will Harris from TI; Dave Thompson of LSI, who is the TA secretary; and two executives from Littelfuse, Jim Colby and Steve Whitney.