BENCHLAB 2 User Guide

Introduction to BENCHLAB 2

BENCHLAB 2 is the successor to the original real-time system telemetry solution engineered for PC DIY enthusiasts brought to you by Open Benchtable and ElmorLabs.

It allows you to effortlessly monitor critical system metrics, including temperature, power usage, and voltage levels. You can also manage system fan speeds. The telemetry data is displayed in the official BENCHLAB software, accessible via our Python toolkits, and you can log and export data to a file or to HWiNFO.

BENCHLAB 2 empowers PC DIY enthusiasts to make informed decisions when fine-tuning the system's performance. It helps identify potential hardware issues before they escalate and helps optimize any hardware configurations seamlessly. Its intuitive design makes it a must-have tool for seasoned overclockers and PC DIY enthusiasts, simplifying the complexities of system telemetry.

Installing the BENCHLAB 2 Hardware

Installing the BENCHLAB 2 hardware is very simple and straightforward. Since it’s designed to fit neatly with the Open Benchtable, we’ll use it to explain the step-by-step installation process.

Setting up the BENCHLAB 2 hardware is the same like the original BENCHLAB:

Set up the Open Benchtable
Install the power supply and attach the power supply cables. You can also mount the storage drives.
Mount the BENCHLAB 2 standoffs on the Open Benchtable.
Place the BENCHLAB 2 PCB on top of the standoffs.
Mount the Open Benchtable standoffs on top of the BENCHLAB 2 to secure it.
Connect both the input and output power supply cables to the BENCHLAB 2.
Install the motherboard on top of the BENCHLAB 2.
Connect the power supply cables to the motherboard. Additionally, you can now also attach the RGB cable, fan cables, etc to the BENCHLAB 2.

Installing the BENCHLAB 2 Software

The BENCHLAB 2 software is also easy to install.

Download the software from our Downloads page.
Double-click the executable to start the software.
Make sure the BENCHLAB is connected to the system where the software is installed.
Upon opening the software, you should see that the BENCHLAB device is connected.

Getting Started with BENCHLAB 2

The BENCHLAB 2 hardware and software provides a wide range of system telemetry. In the coming sections we go over each of the telemetry functions in detail.

Power Measurement

BENCHLAB 2 ensures complete visibility over your system's power consumption by providing comprehensive power measurement for 4+4-pin EPS (x2), 24-pin ATX (x1), 6+2-pin PCIE (x3), and 12VHPWR (2x) connectors.

Connect the power supply cables to the following input power connectors on the BENCHLAB 2:

PSU_CPU1 & PSU_CPU2 = 4+4-pin EPS
PSU_ATX24 = 24-pin ATX
PSU_GPU1, PSU_GPU2, & PSU_GPU3 = 6+2-pin PCIE
PSU_HPWR1 & PSU_HPWR2 = 12+4-pin 12VHPWR

Connect the BENCHLAB 2 power cables from the BENCHLAB 2 to the system using the following connectors:

SYS_CPU1 & SYS_CPU2 = 4+4-pin EPS
SYS_ATX24 = 24-pin ATX
SYS_GPU1, SYS_GPU2, & SYS_GPU3 = 6+2-pin PCIE
SYS_HPWR1 & SYS_HPWR2 = 12+4-pin 12VHPWR

Do not use any other cable (e.g. modular PSU cables) to connect the BENCHLAB power to the system as it may result in irreversible damage!

Voltage Measurement

The BENCHLAB 2 voltage measurement system features 1x ±18V differential and 12x 0-4V single-ended channels which enables you to keep a close eye on voltage fluctuations, guaranteeing stable and secure operation.

V1 to V8 are located next to the USB Type-A port in the upper right corner of the PCB. They are intended to be used for motherboard voltage measurement. They are single-ended inputs that measure 0V to 4V.

V9 to V12 are located next to the 12VHPR connectors in the lower right corner of the PCB. They are intended to be used for graphics card voltage measurement. They are single-ended inputs that measure 0V to 4V.

V+/V- located next to the USB Type-A port in the upper right corner of the PCB. These are the inputs for the differential voltage measurement which ranges from -18V to +18V.

Temperature Measurement

To keep track of the thermal operating conditions, BENCHLAB 2's advanced temperature measurement functionality includes an embedded ambient temperature and humidity sensor, embedded thermistors for input and output 12VHPWR plugs, as well as support for four external temperature sensors.

The ambient temperature and humidity sensor are located at the back of the PCB in the lower right corner.

The embedded 12VHPWR temperatures sensors are located at the back of the PCB in the lower left corner.

TS1 to TS4 can be found around the edge of the PCB. These are thermistor cable inputs intended for external temperature measurements, such as the water temperature.

Fan Control

The conveniently integrated fan controller supports up to 9x 4-pin PWM fans (FAN1 to FAN9) whose curves can be mapped to any of the temperature sensors via the BENCHLAB 2 software.

In case you don't want to use the software, you can also control the fans using a physical switch (SW1).

Connect FAN_EXT1 to the a fan connector on your motherboard to control the fans connected to the BENCHLAB 2 via the motherboard.

RGB Control

The BENCHLAB 2 has 30x addressable RGB (ARGB) LEDs fitted on the backside of the PCB which provides you with a stunning, customizable visual backdrop. You can control the RGB pattern either by the BENCHLAB 2 software or by connecting it to a motherboard via the RGB connector.

You can disable the RGB function using SW2.

I/O & Peripherals

BENCHLAB also features several I/O connections.

USB1 is the USB 2.0 Type-C connector to the system for using the BENCHLAB 2 software.

USB2, USB3, and USB4 are USB 2.0 Type-A connectors and can be used to connect any kind of peripheral like keyboard or mouse. The devices connect to the same system that's connected to the USB Type-C.

Two 9-pin F_Panel headers can be used to pass through power, reset, and LED from your motherboard to the BENCHLAB 2 and BENCHLAB 2 to the case.

Two physical buttons in the lower right corner can be used to power on/off and reset the system if the F_Panel is connected.

A 5VSB jumper let's you enable 5V standby options: enable 5VSB switch (NONE), bypass 5VSB switch (UP), and bypass switch & shunt (DOWN).

Last but not least, an expansion connector (CTRL1) is reserved for future functionality.

Mounting

In addition to the standard ATX mounting holes to install the BENCHLAB 2 on the Open Benchtable, the BENCHLAB 2 also offers dedicated mounting holes for the Corsair Frame 4000D and 5000D chassis as well as 2 SSDs.

The ATX mounting holes are marked with A.

The Frame 4000D mounting holes are marked with F and F4.

The Frame 5000D mounting holes are marked with F and F5.

The SSD mounting holes are in the center of the PCB.

Device Protection

BENCHLAB 2 continuously monitors temperatures and currents and can automatically respond when a reading exceeds a safe limit. This is designed to protect your hardware in unattended or overnight test runs.

The BENCHLAB 2 monitors:

Over-temperature protection (OTP): internal chip temperature, (if connected) all four external thermistor inputs, and the four 12VHPWR connector thermistors.
Over-current protection (OCP): every monitored power rail (CPU, ATX 3.3V/5V/5VSB/12V, GPU rails, and both 12VHPWR connectors).
Per-wire over-current protection: each of the 6 sense wires on each 12VHPWR connector, individually.
Current imbalance protection: flags when current sharing across a 12VHPWR connector's wires becomes significantly uneven, which can indicate a failing or poorly seated connector.

A reading over its limit does not trigger an action instantly. The condition must stay continuously true for a configurable minimum duration (10 seconds by default) before it counts as a confirmed fault. This avoids false trips from brief spikes or noise.

Each fault type can be configured to trigger one or more of the following actions, each with its own configurable delay:

Action	Effect
LED	Status LED switches to a solid red fault indicator
Buzzer	Audible alert sounds
Soft power off	Simulates a short press of the power button
Hard power off	Simulates a long (5s) press of the power button, forcing the system off
Reset	Simulates a press of the reset button
5VSB power cut	Cuts standby power, similar to flipping the PSU switch

By default, over-temperature, over-current, and wire-level faults trigger the LED and buzzer immediately (after a ~10s fault-confirmation period), and also trigger a hard power off after a 30-second wait. Soft power-off, reset, and 5VSB-cut are disabled by default and must be explicitly enabled; when enabled, they use the same 30-second default wait time.

Once the underlying condition clears, momentary actions (LED, buzzer) automatically reset; power/reset actions are one-shot button presses and do not repeat.

Fault status and history:

Current status: reflects faults that are actively confirmed right now.
Fault log: is a sticky record of every fault that has occurred since it was last cleared, even if the condition has since resolved.