WLED Auto OFF

No more standby draw when the LEDs are off

Digital LED strips draw current even when every LED is set to "off". Each chip stays powered and waits for new data. Depending on LED density, chip type and operating voltage this amounts to roughly 0.1 to 1.6 W per metre – a 5 m strip therefore draws somewhere between 0.5 and 8 W continuously, depending on the type, without producing any light. On top of that, the power supply runs under a permanent low load and therefore in an inefficient range.

The WLED Auto OFF module physically disconnects the strip's supply voltage as soon as WLED stops its output, and restores it as soon as data is present again. The controller itself stays powered and remains reachable over your network, MQTT or home automation system at all times.

How it works

The module is inserted into the line between a WLED output and the LED strip. A microcontroller continuously monitors the data signal:

• Active LED data → the strip's supply is switched on
• 5 seconds without active data → an electronic high-side switch disconnects the supply completely
• Data activity resumes → the supply is back within about 50 ms, before the data reaches the strip

There is no perceptible delay. The data signal is passed straight through and WLED operation is unaffected. The 5 second delay prevents short gaps in the data stream – when changing a preset or restarting the controller, for example – from triggering a disconnection. A status LED shows the switching state.

Particularly useful at additional injection points

Long strips are fed with power every few metres. That is exactly where no control wire from the controller is available – and exactly where, without an Auto OFF module, a section stays permanently powered even though the section before it has been switched off. The module takes its switching signal from the data line running through it, so it needs nothing beyond the injection point itself.

The same applies downstream of a WLED Range Extender OUT module, where no switching line is available either.

Features

• For 5 V, 12 V and 24 V, up to 10 A load current
• WS281x, SK6812 and compatible single-wire signals
• Electronic high-side switch, no mechanical relay
• No configuration in WLED, no spare GPIO, no control wire required
• Switches off after 5 s of inactivity, switches back on within about 50 ms
• Pluggable screw terminals, 3-pole per side
• Status LED can be disabled via a solder jumper
• Automatic switch-off can be disabled via a solder jumper – useful during troubleshooting
• PCB 38 × 16 mm, 8.5 g
• Indoor use only (IP20), +5 to +45 °C
• Developed and manufactured in Germany · CE · RoHS · WEEE

Important when using several injection points

If you feed the strip at more than one point, an Auto OFF module must sit behind every injection point. At the transition between two sections, only data and GND are carried over – the supply voltage of the preceding section is not continued there. Otherwise the following section stays permanently powered.

Scope of delivery

1× WLED Auto OFF Module V1.0 (Art. No. 90068) incl. plugs, printed quick start guide

Note on the product range

Future versions of our WLED Controller and of the Range Extender OUT module will have load switching built in. For existing installations and for additional injection points along the strip, the Auto OFF module remains the answer.

Further links

• cod.m Knowledge Base: WLED Auto OFF

Downloads

• Datasheet / Quick Start Guide WLED Auto OFF V1.0
• Connection diagram WLED Auto OFF V1.0 
• EU Declaration of Conformity cod.m WLED Auto OFF