Since I like to measure everything that has just any plug (or socket) and also want to support my friend Aris in his work, I brought the latest PMD (Power Measurements Device) right from Taipei (along with something else that was then unfortunately less beautiful, but free). The first brand new Powenetics kits were already delivered to their happy owners during Computex 2023 (in my case to the reception of the hotel because of the necessary viral distance maintenance) and today I will tell you my first impressions and also explain why you can not only measure with it in higher resolution than e.g. with NVIDIA’s PCAT or the PMD from Elmors Lab, but also really capture all power supplies on motherboard and graphics card cleanly.
Of course, the whole thing is no longer a toy, but real lab hardware and therefore has a corresponding price. This is because it is a special small series, where the software and development have to be paid for in addition to the manufacturing costs. However, the called 975 Euros are quite reasonable from my point of view, because it is nothing for casual tinkerers and certain, hand-applying YouTubers. The manufacturer is CWT (Cannel Well Technologies), which also produces power supplies for Corsair and many other brands. So the quality is right.
But let’s just start from the beginning: What is the Powenetics system? The Powenetics v2 is a Power Measurements Device (PMD) with a total of 13 sensors that can be used to measure CPU, GPU and motherboard power in real time, with up to 1000 readings per second for all sensors, both voltage and current. The resolution is 1 mV for voltage and 5 mA for amperage, which is hard to do more accurately. The Powenetics v2 has the following connectors/cables:
- ATX 24pin
- ATX 10pin (12VO)
- 3x EPS
- 3x PCIe 6+2
- 2x PCIe 12+4
- 1x Proprierty 4-pin for connection to PCIe expansion card
The two 12VHPWR connectors can handle up to 60A continuous current and up to 150A current spikes of up to 1 ms to cover PCIe 5.0 transient response scenarios as well. In addition, the Powenetics card can receive firmware upgrades, and most importantly, you can perform current and voltage calibrations on all inputs if you have the equipment. In direct comparison to NVIDIA’s PCAT and my measurement setup with 2 oscillographs, the accuracy is more in the range of the expensive oscillographs and my multimeters from Rohde & Schwarz and far above what NVIDIA’s PCAT can measure. So this can be left as it is. By the way, the brain of the board is a 32-bit MCU in the form of the PIC32MZ, which supports up to 48 inputs.
Most importantly, the PMD is also accompanied by a PCI extender, so it can effortlessly measure the power delivered by the PCIe slot. With the original Powenetics, some unique and very expensive PCIe extender cards had to be purchased, and Aris didn’t want that to be the case with the new system. In the end, production costs were secondary for now and Aris just wanted the best he could build. So you always have to keep in mind that this is a lab device and not a “toy”.
| Brand Name: | Cybenetics |
| Model Name: | Powenetics V2 |
| Manufacturer: | CWT |
| Number of sensors: | 13x |
| Maximum readings per sec on all sensors: | 1000 +- 50 |
| Number of ATX12V/ATX12VO sockets: | 1/ 1 |
| Number of EPS sockets: | 3 |
| Number of PCie 6+2 sockets: | 3 |
| Number of 12VHPWR sockets: | 2 |
| Connection: | USB Type-B |
| Dimensions (W x D): | 335 mm x 80 mm |
| Price (excluding VAT): | 975€ |
| Warranty: | only against DOA |
Just to remind you: this is my own PMD from 2020 in a more or less discrete design, which can also detect all rails, but whose intervals are much coarser and which also needs a lot of space. In comparison, the new board of the Powenetic V2 is not an evolution, but a real revolution and my lab bench thanks it with more free space.
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