Using de:volt on a Tablet
de:volt’s editor is built for touch as well as mouse. On an iPad, Android tablet, Chromebook, or phone you can place components, wire them, pan and zoom, edit parameters, and complete Learn objectives without a keyboard or mouse.
The touch layout turns on automatically when de:volt detects a touchscreen. You can force it on or off per device in Settings → Editor → Touch controls (handy for stylus + laptop hybrids).
Moving around the canvas
- Pan — drag with one finger on an empty part of the canvas.
- Zoom — pinch with two fingers. The point between your fingers stays put as you zoom, so you can zoom into exactly the area you care about.
- Two-finger drag also pans, at any zoom level.
Placing components
- Open the Components panel (the tab on the left edge; on a phone it slides up as a sheet).
- Tap a part to arm it — the tile shows a highlight ring.
- Tap the canvas where you want it. As you hold and drag, a ghost preview follows your finger and snaps to the breadboard; lift to drop it.
Tap the armed tile again to cancel, or press the part down and release off-board to dismiss it.
Selecting and moving
- Tap a component to select it.
- Drag a selected component to move it. A short tap selects without nudging, so you won’t move a part by accident.
Wiring
Wiring is tap-by-tap — no dragging required:
- Tap a pin or a breadboard hole to start a wire.
- Tap the destination pin or hole to finish it.
Touch targets for pins, holes, wires, and waypoints are enlarged on touch so they’re easy to hit with a fingertip.
The on-canvas toolbar
A small toolbar floats at the bottom of the canvas on touch devices:
- Undo / Redo — always available.
- Duplicate, Auto-route, and Delete — appear when something is selected.
More actions: long-press
Press and hold a component, wire, or empty spot to open the context menu — the touch equivalent of a right-click. From there you can copy, paste, delete, or auto-route.
Panels on small screens
On a phone, the Components and Inspector panels open as slide-up sheets so they don’t crowd the canvas. Tap the edge tab to open one; tap the backdrop, the close button, or the panel’s collapse control to dismiss it. On a tablet they dock to the sides as usual, and you can drag the dividers to resize them.
Tips
- Zoom in before fine wiring on a small breadboard — pinch-zoom makes individual holes much easier to hit.
- If the touch layout doesn’t suit your device, switch Touch controls to Off (or On) in Settings → Editor.