The Imaging Source 1394 FireWire cameras are stable, high speed CCD imagers that come with the robust IC Capture software free of charge. They can be connected with either a 6pin-to-6pin or a 6pin-to-4pin FireWire cable shown on this blog and additionally on the astronomycameras.com website. The difference is only in the source of power for the camera. If your computer (desktop or laptop) has a 6pin FireWire port (shown here), the camera draws power from the computer.

If only a 4pin port (shown here) exists on your computer, power must be supplied by using a Y-cable and an additional power supply unit (PSU) available on astronomycameras.com.

Additionally, if you are using a laptop, you can purchase a FireWire PCI card, power the card, and again draw the power from the computer. Both methods will allow your model of The Imaging Source camera to work at peak efficiency!

Note: Except for Macs, most US laptops are not outfitted with 6pin 1394 ports due to the power draw. Most likely you will have to either power the camera with the Y-cable or power the PCI card.