The IEEE 1394 bus

The IEEE 1394 interface originated from work in the late 1980s in an attempt to provide a standard for desktop computer applications. Initially the development was largely undertaken by Apple Computer under their tradename of the “FireWire” bus. The 1394 Trade Association was formed in September 1994 to promote and develop the interface. The Trade Association has members from both the computer and consumer electronics industries and is still actively developing the 1394 interface. The interface was standardised by the IEEE in 1995. The IEEE 1394 interface currently has 3 speeds defined, 100, 200, and 400 Mbit/s. Equipment working at a given speed will also work at all the lower speeds and so equipment of different speeds can be used on the same bus. Also, it is possible to have two items of equipment exchanging data at the highest speed on a bus; with other lower speed equipment also on the same bus