Abstract A power supply for laboratory instruments is described which has the following advantages. 1. It has greater utility than any commercially available unit now on the market and includes disaster planning in its construction. 2. It is relatively cheap to construct and does not require specialized knowledge for its assemblage. 3. It is relatively trouble-free and requires comparatively little routine maintenance. A reliable, cheap, and convenient high intensity gas-air burner has been described for heat sealing the capillary tubes used in the micro hematocrit technic.