HEKA

HEKA is pleased to release the newest family of fully computer controlled patch clamp amplifiers. The EPC 10 USB amplifiers are available with one (EPC 10 USB), two (EPC 10 USB Double), three (EPC 10 USB Triple) or four (EPC 10 USB Quadro) amplifiers. The EPC 10 USB patch clamp amplifiers are successors of the revolutionary EPC 9 patch clamp amplifiers, which were first introduced in 1990, and the well known EPC 10 patch clamp amplifiers, which replaced the EPC 9’s in 2002. This hardware product line is fully integrated with HEKA’s new LIH 8+8 AD/DA interface. The built-in interface utilizes the latest USB 2.0 and high speed processing technologies without the need for a peripheral PCI card. The advanced integration of the EPC 10 USB with the interface and software minimizes total recording noise, eliminates compatibility problems and reduces additional equipment expenses and set-up time.

EPC 10 USB

The digital control of all amplifier functions has been designed with two advantages in mind. Firstly, if a computer controls the functions of the amplifier, then the data acquisition program can access and store variables that describe all of the settings during an experiment. Secondly, computer control allows a number of operations to be automated.

These include automatic switching (e.g, switching between the settings for establishing a seal or those for single channel recording) and also the automatic adjustment of capacitance transients cancellation and series resistance compensation. In fact, digital control of every adjustable parameter in the amplifier circuitry is implemented, including the calibration adjustments.

The EPC 10 is a complete data acquisition system, which can be used with HEKA’s PATCHMASTER or TIDA software. A DLL (dynamic link library) is available to allow access of the system from a custom written application. The EPC 10 USB patch clamp amplifier, combined with a computer and PATCHMASTER or TIDA software is equivalent to a fully equipped setup, which includes a patch clamp amplifier, a digital storage oscilloscope, a variable analog filter, a sophisticated pulse generator, and a fully featured data acquisition and analysis system. 

Applications

  Low noise single channel recordings

  Low noise whole-cell patch clamp recordings: voltage clamp and
    current clamp / LFVC

  Loose patch recordings

  Intracellular voltage recordings with high resistance electrodes.

  Field potential recordings with metal microelectrodes

  Recording from artificial membranes (Bilayer recordings)

  Study of Long Term Potentiation (LTP) and Long Term Depression (LTD)

  Study of Exocytosis/Endocytosis or Synaptic transmission by

• Measurement of whole-cell membrane capacitance (Patchmaster)
• Measurement of on-cell membrane capacitance (Patchmaster)
• Detection of released substances (amperometry with e.g. carbon fiber electrodes)

  Detection of released substances under a patch (patch amperometry)

EPC10/n USB

The EPC 10 USB Double, Triple, and Quadro patch clamp amplifiers are the optimal instruments for performing double or triple patch experiments. Although either two (EPC 10 USB Double), three (EPC 10 USB Triple) or four (EPC 10 USB Quadro) amplifiers are combined in a single housing; each amplifier is completely independent with clearly defined operation and handling. HEKA’s software stimulates the desired amplifier and selected channels are programmed without tedious connection of cables by the user.

 
EPC 10 USB Double

The EPC 10 PLUS is a fully computer controlled patch clamp amplifier with a built-in high-end interface board. Continuing the tradition of providing the world's best electrophysiology amplifier, the EPC 10 PLUS has all the features of the EPC 10; but it goes much further in offering many improvements with respect to data acquisition capabilities. The EPC 10 PLUS features an interface with eight 18-bit AD converters with a clock rate of 200 kHz (aggregate). The premium sampling parameters make the EPC 10 PLUS best suitable for multi-channel and high-resolution recordings.

EPC 10 PLUS

EPC 10 PLUS with ITC-18 built-in: The fully computer controlled EPC 10 PLUS has an ITC-18 AD/DA converter interface built-in and is connected to the host computer via the PCI-18 interface board.

True 16-bit data resolution: The ITC-18 uses separate 18-bit AD converters for each channel to provide true 16-bit data resolution.

Current, Voltage and 5 additional AD channels: The EPC 10 PLUS can simultaneously record the current and voltage monitor channels of the patch clamp amplifier and five additional AD channels from other devices. The five channels can be used e.g. to record fluorescence signals, amperometric signals, or signals from other amplifiers in parallel to the signals from the clamped cell.

  True Current Clamp capabilities
  Low Frequency Voltage Clamp
  Digital outputs & telegraphing inputs
  Integration of hardware and software eliminates
    compatibility problems on Windows operating systems
  True noise measurements from 100 Hz to 15 kHz
  Suitable for single-channel and whole-cell measurements, loose
    patch experiments, capacitance measurements, recordings from
    plant cells   and organelles, and studying reconstituted channels 
    in artificial membranes
  100-130 V AC or 200-260 V AC switchable

Amplifiers     Products