Computer Equipment Group, based in Cologne, Germany, has finished crowdfunding Firehat, which it describes as "A compact FireWire DV capture HAT for single-board computers". The board adds a 6-pin FireWire port to single-board computers that expose PCIe, including the Raspberry Pi 5 and Radxa ROCK 2F, so DV and HDV camcorders can be captured directly to the host's storage. The Crowd Supply campaign went live on Aug 24, 2026 and was marked funded on Oct 08, 2026. It raised $26,663 against a $7,500 goal (355%) from 170 backers. As of October 20, 2026, Firehat is on pre-order at $99, plus $8 shipping in the US or $18 worldwide. Crowd Supply estimates that orders placed now will ship on Mar 03, 2027. That date is an estimate for a crowdfunded product, and no hardware has shipped to backers yet.
Terms have changed since launch. In its Aug 25, 2026 report, CNX Software listed a $79 pledge with free US shipping ($12 elsewhere) and said deliveries were expected to start on February 3, 2027. New orders now cost $99, US buyers pay for shipping, and the estimated ship date is later.
What the board is
Firehat is built around a VIA VT6315N IEEE 1394 controller and connects to the host over PCIe 2.0 x1 through an FPC connector. It also has a 40-pin GPIO header, so it mounts on a Raspberry Pi 5 like a HAT. According to CNX, the PCIe link carries the video, and the GPIO header drives the OLED, buttons, LEDs and buzzer. Computer Equipment Group's campaign page lists:
- FireWire controller: VIA VT6315N IEEE 1394
- Port: 6-pin FireWire / i.LINK / DV
- Host interface: PCIe 2.0 x1 via FPC connector
- GPIO: 40-pin, 2.54 mm header
- Display: 1.3-inch monochrome OLED
- Controls and indicators: 3 low-profile tactile buttons, 3 SK6812 RGB LEDs, 1 PWM-controlled SMD buzzer
- Dimensions and weight: 56 x 70 x 12 mm, 25 g
- Compatibility: Radxa ROCK 2F, Raspberry Pi 5, and other SBCs that expose PCIe over FPC or an adapter
- Tape-deck control: depends on the camera or deck model
- Licenses: hardware CERN OHL-S; software GPL
The listed package contents, which the campaign says may change before launch, are the Firehat main board, the 1.3-inch OLED screen, a 25 mm co-axial shielded FPC cable, a 0.3 m IEEE 1394 6-pin to 4-pin FireWire cable, and printed safety and setup information. CNX said the board handles footage from MiniDV, Digital8, DVCAM, DVCPRO and HDV camcorders. It records the original digital DV stream to local storage and appears to Linux as a standard PCIe FireWire controller. At the time of CNX's report, certification was still pending. The KiCad hardware design, the software, and test utilities are published at github.com/computerequipmentgroup/firehat.
How the prototype performed
Jeff Geerling tested a pre-campaign prototype in a Mar 27, 2026 post, using a Canon GL1 miniDV camcorder. Capture runs through the Firehat software, which is driven by the board's buttons and OLED. Geerling noted that dvgrab, the long-standing Linux command-line DV capture tool, can also archive MiniDV tapes to the Pi. He flagged two practical points. He wrote that "Because Pi OS doesn't come with Linux's FireWire support enabled, you'll have to recompile the Linux kernel first." He also said the board was a prototype, and "As such, it has a requisite number of bodge wires :)", so it was an early board and not production hardware.
Powered by a PiSugar 3 Plus 5000mAh battery, Geerling's setup ran for 2 to 4 hours, depending on whether it recorded continuously and on the storage used. He recorded over 3 hours straight to a 64GB microSD card. Those figures come from one prototype with one battery and one camcorder, so they are not specifications. Geerling wrote, "I haven't had a chance to test other FireWire devices yet." He had heard of others using FireWire audio interfaces and old Macs with it but had not verified those reports.
Geerling also reported that, if the campaign succeeded, Computer Equipment Group would sell a small standalone device called equip-1, which pairs the hardware with a Radxa Rock 2F. The campaign page links to a separate equip-1 software repository.
Where it fits
The project responds to shrinking FireWire support on mainstream computers. Geerling noted that Apple "dropped FireWire support in macOS Tahoe," which left some users with MiniDV tape archives in a lurch. Firehat moves capture to a Linux SBC with its own small display and buttons. Computer Equipment Group supports two forms: a HAT for boards such as the Raspberry Pi 5, and the equip-1 standalone unit built around the Radxa board.
What It Means for Makers
Firehat is for people who need to digitise MiniDV or HDV tapes, or who still use a FireWire camcorder, and who want a Linux-based capture box now that their desktop has lost FireWire support. The Raspberry Pi 5 and Radxa ROCK 2F are named hosts. Other boards need PCIe exposed over FPC or through an adapter.
- Software expectations: On Raspberry Pi OS, using Firehat means rebuilding the kernel with FireWire enabled. Tested use so far has centred on camcorder capture. How much tape-deck control you get depends on the camera or deck model.
- Open design: The CERN OHL-S hardware licence and GPL software let you study, modify and redistribute the design under those licences' terms.
- Buying: Pre-orders are open on Crowd Supply. The Mar 03, 2027 ship date is an estimate, so allow for slippage if your archiving project has a deadline.
- Power and safety: For powering the HAT, attached camcorders or batteries, follow the maker's documentation and the printed safety information that ships with the board.
