Edge AI Power Insertion Uses ElmorLabs PCIe Modules
Mario Bergeron reports in a May 4, 2026 blog post that he attempted to reproduce power measurements for M.2 AI accelerators using an alternate strategy based on ElmorLabs PCIe power insertion modules (blog: mariobergeron.com). Bergeron describes ElmorLabs' ATX-compatible boards and PCIe power insertion modules and notes the vendor pricing at about $99 for the measurement board and $30 for an insertion module (per Mario Bergeron). He contrasts that with the higher-cost Quarch solution, which Bergeron lists at roughly 1,500-2,500 pounds for a Power Analysis Module and 300-600 pounds for fixtures, and with low-cost INA-based modules priced around $10-14 (per the blog). Editorial analysis: For practitioners, this is a practical, low-cost approach to get shunt-based power measurement onto M.2 devices via PCIe-to-M.2 adapters.
What happened
Per Mario Bergeron's May 4, 2026 blog post on mariobergeron.com, he attempted to reproduce Hailo-style power measurements for M.2 AI accelerators using an alternate strategy that employs ElmorLabs PCIe power insertion modules. Bergeron reports that ElmorLabs supplies ATX-compatible measurement boards and PCIe insertion modules; he lists the ElmorLabs measurement board at $99 and the insertion module at $30. Bergeron also documents comparative options: the Quarch Power Analysis Module at roughly 1,500-2,500 pounds and associated fixtures at 300-600 pounds, and several off-the-shelf INA-based boards priced around $10-14 (per Mario Bergeron).
Technical details
Bergeron notes that most commercial solutions measure power by sensing the voltage/current drop across a shunt resistor, then place that sensing element inline using adapter fixtures. He explains that ElmorLabs implements inline measurement on standard ATX24, EPS, and PCIe power cables, and that Bergeron used a generic PCIe-to-M.2 adapter to apply the PCIe insertion modules to M.2 devices (per Mario Bergeron). The blog post contrasts turnkey commercial fixtures with DIY INA-module approaches that reduce hardware cost but require additional integration.
Editorial analysis
Industry context: Companies and practitioners performing board-level power benchmarking often balance measurement fidelity, integration effort, and budget. Shunt-based inline measurement is the common technical pattern because it provides direct voltage/current sensing for transient and average power metrics. Turnkey solutions such as the Quarch PAM add features like power generation and fault injection at a premium, while suppliers like ElmorLabs offer lower-cost insertion hardware that can be adapted to nonstandard form factors with adapters. Off-the-shelf INA modules are the cheapest route but generally demand more custom wiring and calibration.
What to watch
For practitioners: follow calibration and verification details comparing the ElmorLabs insertion approach to vendor-native measurement (for example, Hailo's on-board instrumentation). Key signals are measurement bandwidth and sampling rate, insertion loss or voltage drop introduced by adapters, and the repeatability of transient power readings across runs. Bergeron's writeup provides a pragmatic recipe and cost baseline for teams that need M.2 power data without investing in premium test fixtures (per Mario Bergeron).
Scoring Rationale
This is a practical, niche hardware benchmarking note useful to practitioners who measure edge-AI power. It documents a low-cost method and price points but does not introduce a new measurement technique or standard.
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