Dig-Next-2
Internal / External Relay(s)
The QuinLED Dig-Next-2 has 2 features built in to try and save as much energy as possible. Because digitally addressable LEDs have an internal IC they are basically never off and always consume a small amount of power, the External AC relay feature and the DC “relays” actively try and save as much power as possible, trying to save you from your electric bill!
External (AC) relay feature
The Dig-Next-2 features a dedicated output port to connect an external 5V relay board to automatically switch on and off your main LED power supply. Larger LED power supplies often have a pretty high idle current so even just leaving them on with just the controller connected can still draw up to 10W continuously. By turning off the main LED power supply when it’s not needed this can greatly save on energy costs and potentially also increase it’s lifespan.
The Dig-Next-2 supports powering the controller from 2 power sources at the same time, the main power input and the USB-C connector. When you connect an extra USB power adapter to the USB-C port (5V 2A recommended, 1A generally will do) this will take over powering the electronics of the board when the main power supply turns off.
You can then use the included 3-wire pigtail which has 5V, 5V trigger and GND on it and connect this to the relay board. Then you wire the live wire on the AC side of the power supply through the relay board and for that moment WLED can turn it on and off when required.
(The relay output connector will always output 5V no matter if you are running 5V LEDs or 12V, 24V, etc.. So make sure to get a 5V relay board.)
Unlike vEXT before it, the relay port of the Dig-Next-2 is only an output!
Built-in DC “relays”
The Dig-Next-2 has a second feature and that is that next to having an individual fuse per output it also has a “relay” per positive output! This “relay” is a MOSFET circuit (so no moving mechanical parts, those generally doesn’t last long with DC current) but the functionality in the end is the same, this circuit can cut off each positive output channel individually! Why would you want this though?
Digitally addressable LEDs such a ws2812b, sk6812, etc. all have a tiny IC inside (or outside) to control it. These all use a tiny bit of power, even when the LEDs are off. While a bunch of them really doesn’t amount to much having 300 or 600 of them can become a large enough amount that you’d rather not have that idle draw, the LEDs aren’t displaying any light!
The Dig-Next-2 can cut this off per individual power output port and this is automated within WLED using the Multi-Relay usermod (comes pre-compiled in QuinLED WLED images). Generally you’d use this to turn on all ports on or off at the same time but if future functionality does become available, the Dig-Next-2 is already prepared for this!
An LED IC will use between 0.5mA and 2mA when idle. Let’s calculate with the worst case scenario and you are running 20m of 12V WS2815 LEDs, WS2815 uses about 2mA at idle (no light). 0.002mA x 1200 = 2.4Amps x 12V = 28.8W of idle draw! Running 20m of this strip is a very realistic scenario for the Dig-Next-2 and a perfect fit looking at the data channels and power outputs but also for idle usage! Without the Dig-Next-2 you would spend approximately 250kWh per year, even if you never turned them on, with the Dig-Next-2 this drops to less than 6kWh per year! So a difference of 244kWh per year, here in the Netherlands we pay about $0,30 per kWh so with 244kWh saved x $0,30 = $73,20 saved… per year!
The Dig-Next-2 is a controller that will literally pay for itself in the course of 1 to 2 years (for a more realistic scenario)!
*This calculation does not take into account the idle current your PSU might run at. If you are running a Meanwell UHP series this is about 2W to 3W with a Dig-Next-2 connected and turned on but a less efficient power supply can easily use 10W or more! Then it’s suggested to use the AC relay feature above to save more then just the DC “relays” alone!