How do you think us
computer-heads learn all this stuff?
FIGURE 19-3 6-pin and 4-pin FireWire connections
Too Many Devices? Never Fear,
Hubs Are Here!
Your Mac may only have one or two FireWire ports, but most people don??™t use more than
one FireWire device at a time anyway. However, USB is a different story. Most devices
that attach to your Mac use USB for connectivity, and five is the highest number of ports
currently available for a consumer Mac. If you use a wired keyboard and mouse, the number
of open ports instantly drops to three.
What do you do if you have more USB devices than USB ports? What if you are one
of those users who connect more than one or two FireWire devices at once? Hubs, my
friends, use USB and FireWire hubs! Hubs are devices that provide multiple ports for USB,
FireWire, or both, and they connect to your Mac through only one of its ports. Hubs operate
on the same principle as electrical extension cords in that from one port you get many.
Problem solved!
CHAPTER 19: It??™s Alive! Adding Hardware to Your Mac(enstein) 415
Summary
Adding external devices to your Mac is almost an inevitability.
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