Use of an Uninterruptible Power Supply in a Molecular Biology Laboratory

摘要

Electrical power "blackouts" (complete loss of electrical power at the power outlet) and "brownouts" (momentary and/or partly diminished electrical power at the power outlet) are quite frequent events. In the laboratory, the consequences of these disruptions vary considerably according to the design and use of electrical equipment that is operating at the time of the disruption. Because of our interest and knowledge (1), we have observed and cataloged a large number of incidents that involve power disruptions. For example, a power supply that was used in the process of RNA gel electrophore-sis experienced a shutdown at some point during an overnight run, indicating a possible blackout; however, because of its design, the equipment did not resume itssettings when power was restored. This resulted in an incomplete gel run. Similarly, a poly-merase chain reaction (PCR) machine did not resume preset cycling functions after a presumed blackout or brownout during an overnight run. This resulted in a failed experiment. These and other examples prompted us to seek a solution to this problem.