Patent ID: 8154899

Claim:
A portable power supply for controlling power to laboratory devices in an experimental setup based on control signals, the portable power supply including a housing and a power chord extending from the housing that electrically connects the portable power supply to a power source of 120V or 240V line voltage such that the power supply is configured to be powered by a standard 120V or 240V wall outlet, the portable power supply having a total volume of less than one cubic foot enabling it to be transportable in laboratory environments, the portable power supply comprising: control signal input terminals that receive the control signals, the control signals being indicative of operational voltages and/or amperages of the laboratory devices in the experimental setup and the control signals being determined based on measured experimental variables of the experimental setup; and a plurality of power terminals that are each electrically connectable to at least one of the laboratory devices in the experimental setup, each of the plurality of power terminals being selected from a 120V or 240V power receptacle, a DC variable power terminal incorporating operational amplifiers, and a potentiometer terminal configured to incorporate a circuit that replaces a laboratory device potentiometer, wherein the portable power supply is configured to output power to the laboratory devices through the power terminals, the outputted power being based on the control signals, wherein the portable power supply is configured to be usable with a plurality of experimental setups such that (a) at least one of the power terminals of the portable power supply is electrically connectable to a first kind of laboratory device in a first experimental setup, and is electrically connectable to a second kind of laboratory device in a second experimental setup, and (b) the control signal input terminals are configured to receive control signals that are based on first measured experimental variables of the first experimental setup, and are configured to receive control signals that are based on second measured experimental variables of the second experimental setup; and (c) the portable power supply outputs power to the first kind of laboratory device in the first experimental setup based on the first measured experimental variables, and outputs power to the second kind of laboratory device in the second experimental setup based on the second measured experimental variables.