ELECTROPHORESIS APPARATUS INCORPORATING MULTI-CHANNEL POWER SUPPLY

摘要

An apparatus for performing electrophoresis, electrophoretic blotting or other applications which rely on the application of an electric field to cause the migration of biomolecules in a medium is disclosed. The apparatus includes a multi-channel power supply comprising a common power supply supplying DC voltage in parallel to six computer controlled conversion modules. Each power conversion module includes a control means and a switch mode transformer having a magnetic (e.g. ferrite) core and a primary and a secondary operating in flyback mode wherein pulses of voltage are periodically supplied to the primary wherein when the pulse are ON no current flows in the secondary and the energy in the ferrite core increases and wherein when the pulses are OFF the energy in the core is discharged as current in the secondary. The power transferred from the primary to the secondary is controlled by adjusting the period for which the pulses are ON. A computer control means is operatively connected to the power supply via opto-isolators to control all output channels of the conversion modules.