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LED Strip V180: Overview

Updated 2 weeks ago · 4 min readBeginner

The LED Strip V180 step controls the RGBW LED strip built into the V-Motion 180 platform. It gives you the same kind of workflow-driven lighting as the LED Ring step, but with the richer pattern set the strip supports: fades, flashes, and two-colour effects.

The step requires V-Motion 180 hardware. On Windows builds it is hidden from the Steps Library, because the V-Motion 180 runs the iPad app. See V-Motion 180: Software Setup for connecting the platform.

What Is the LED Strip V180 Step?

From the workflow's point of view, the step:

  • Sends a lighting command to the V180's LED strip and immediately continues
  • Does not block the flow and has no guest-facing screen
  • Is separate from the V180 motor step, which controls movement. Lighting and motion are configured independently

The strip is RGBW: it has a white channel in addition to red, green, and blue. Bright White is its own preset rather than a colour choice; the current controller command drives a full-power white value across the RGBW channels.

Settings

Action is start or stop. The settings below apply to start.

Pattern chooses the effect:

  • Bright White — the controller's full RGBW white preset. The default, and the pattern to use for capture lighting
  • Solid — a constant colour of your choosing
  • Rainbow Fade — smooth transition through the spectrum
  • Rainbow Flash — hard cuts between spectrum colours
  • One Color Fade — pulses a single colour in and out
  • One Color Flash — hard on/off flashing of a single colour
  • Two Colors Fade — smooth crossfade between two colours
  • Two Colors Flash — alternating hard cuts between two colours

Strength is brightness, 0 to 100%. It applies to every pattern. The default is full.

Color applies to Solid, One Color Fade, and One Color Flash.

First color and second color apply to the two-colour patterns.

Number of steps applies to the fade patterns and controls how finely the transition is subdivided. Higher values give smoother fades. The default is 255.

Delay controls the speed of animated patterns: lower is faster. The default is 15.

When Should You Use the LED Strip V180 Step?

Use it in any V-Motion 180 workflow where the lighting should track what is happening.

Typical reasons:

  • Bright white during the capture sweep, so the subject is evenly lit as the platform moves
  • Slow colour fades while the booth is idle, as an attract state
  • A distinct colour or flash when payment succeeds, or when the sweep is about to start
  • Brand-colour lighting across the whole session

You do not need it if:

  • The event is not using a V-Motion 180
  • The venue provides its own controlled lighting for the platform

How the LED Strip V180 Step Fits in the Workflow

A typical V180 flow interleaves lighting, motion, and capture:

  1. LED Strip V180 (start, Two Colors Fade, brand colours, low strength) — idle
  2. Touch-to-start animation
  3. LED Strip V180 (start, Bright White, strength 100%) — capture lighting
  4. Countdown animation
  5. Record Video (Start)
  6. V180 (Move) — begin the sweep
  7. A timed animation long enough to cover the sweep
  8. V180 (Stop)
  9. Record Video (Stop)
  10. LED Strip V180 (start, Rainbow Fade) — celebration while the video processes
  11. Preview and sharing steps
  12. LED Strip V180 (stop) before End Session

Practical rules:

  • A start command replaces the current pattern; you do not need a stop in between
  • Set Bright White at least one step before the capture begins, so exposure is stable for the whole sweep
  • Do not run flashing patterns during video capture. Flicker is far more visible in video than in stills, and it cannot be corrected afterwards
  • Add a stop before End Session so the strip does not stay lit between guests

Why the LED Strip V180 Step Is Useful

For event operators:

  • Consistent, even lighting through a moving capture, which is the hardest lighting problem the V180 presents
  • The platform reads as a designed installation rather than a rig with a light on it
  • Brand-colour lighting with no gels, no extra fixtures, and no extra power draw

For guests:

  • Well-lit video from every angle of the sweep
  • A visually striking booth that signals clearly when the action is about to start

Common Mistakes

Flashing patterns during video capture. Produces visible flicker and banding in the footage. Use Bright White or Solid for anything being recorded.

Low strength during capture. Underexposed, noisy video. Save the dim, moody settings for the idle state.

No stop step. The strip stays lit between sessions and after the event.

Confusing it with the V180 motor step. Lighting and motion are separate steps. If the platform is not moving, check the V180 step, not this one.

Looking for it on Windows. The step is hidden on Windows builds because the V-Motion 180 runs the iPad app.

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