Firehat is an open-source FireWire HAT for single-board computers with PCIe. It adds a VIA VT6315N IEEE 1394 controller and a 6-pin FireWire/i.LINK/DV port for connecting DV camcorders, decks, and other FireWire devices to modern SBCs.
It was designed for Equip-1, a portable DV recorder built around a Radxa ROCK 2F, but it is also available as a standalone board for the ROCK 2F, Raspberry Pi 5, and other SBCs that can expose PCIe over FPC or an adapter.
Website: https://www.firehat.c-e.group/
- VIA VT6315N FireWire controller
- 6-pin FireWire port for DV/i.LINK/IEEE 1394 devices
- PCIe 2.0 x1 via FPC connector
- 40-pin 2.54 mm GPIO header, Raspberry Pi-compatible layout
- 1.3" monochrome OLED display
- 3x low-profile SMD tactile buttons
- 3x SK6812 RGB LED
- PWM-controlled SMD buzzer
- 56 mm × 70 mm × 12 mm, ~25 g
This is an open-source hardware repository. Hardware files, supporting software, and graphics assets are kept separate:
hw/— hardware design files and references:hw/pcb/— KiCad project, schematic, PCB layout, local footprints and 3D models.hw/datasheets/— component datasheets and hardware reference documents.
src/— supporting software, test utilities, and board integration files.gfx/— renders, photos, diagrams, screenshots, and logos.
On Linux, Firehat appears as a PCIe IEEE 1394 controller when the host kernel supports the VIA VT6315N and the FireWire stack. DV capture workflows typically use tools such as dvgrab or dvcont.
For a complete appliance image and recorder UI, use the Equip-1 software stack in the Equip-1 repository.
Hardware is licensed under CERN OHL-S. Software is licensed under GPL. Derivatives must be released under the same licenses.
Discord: discord.gg/wpXmcb5mvK
If you like this project and want to know more about the development and future steps, or even build your own version, feel free to join this discord. We are a small community building objects with computers!