A flow rate control valve includes a second substrate having a flexible thin film and interposed between a first substrate having a heating mechanism and a third substrate having a sealing section. The second filter member is configured to filter relatively smaller solid media from the liquid sample than the first filter member, and the third filter member is configured to filter relatively larger solid media from the liquid sample than the second filter member. Specifically, the fluid is gently fed onto the wire-wound device by simple volumetric displacement and overflow from the inside of a hollow tube onto the wire and the flow is controlled by sensing the beginning and end of each workpiece or plate. When the load current increases to a first predetermined level, the selector circuit activates the switching regulator and the linear regulator remains activated until the switching regulator ramps up to provide a sufficient amount of current so that the regulated output voltage does not droop or sag below a desired level. In some embodiments of the invention, the determination of whether the first platform firmware image is valid is based, at least in part, on verification of a digital signature associated with the first platform firmware image.