Axoclamp 900A
Microelectrode Amplifier for Current and Voltage Clamp
Description
The Axoclamp 900A is a complete microelectrode current-clamp and voltage-clamp amplifier, useful for a wide range of intracellular microelectrode recording techniques. Like it's predecessor, the Axoclamp-2B, the Axoclamp 900A has a wide range of functionality and has many enhancements that improve amplifier recording capability, make the amplifier easier to use, and help your experiments last longer.
The Axoclamp 900A has several modes of operation: I-Clamp: two independent bridge amplifiers for voltage measurements
- DCC: discontinuous current clamp for accurate voltage measurements, even when electrode resistance changes
- TEVC: high-compliance two-electrode voltage clamp for oocytes and mammalian cells
- dSEVC: discontinuous single-electrode voltage clamp for small cells with large currents
- HVIC: high-voltage current clamp for extracellular applications such as iontophoresis
Note that this amplifier does not have continuous single-electrode voltage clamp mode.
Instead of the usual front panel knobs and switches, the Axoclamp 900A is controlled by the Axoclamp 900A Commander, a program that runs on a Windows PC computer (see Requirements below) and communicates with the amplifier via a USB 2.0 interface. This control interface reports resistance, voltage, and current measurements and provides automation of Bridge Balance, Pipette Offset, and Pipette Capacitance Neutralization. In addition it has "smart" features that protect cells from potentially damaging signal oscillations and automate mode changes based on internal signal thresholds or externally-applied signals. Amplifier settings such as gain, filter frequency, recording mode and input/output scale factors are automatically telegraphed to the pCLAMP 10 data acquisition software via the USB connection.
Axoclamp 900A Commander
Optional SoftPanel
Although the Axoclamp 900A is a computer-controlled amplifier, the mouse and/or keyboard is not the only means of controlling the instrument. The optional SoftPanel was designed for those who prefer the more conventional feel to amplifier control of knobs and buttons. By way of a USB connection, the SoftPanel physically replicates all essential amplifier functions by acting as a hardware extension of the Axoclamp 900A Commander software.
Optional SoftPanel