Touchscreen Operation

This chapter focuses on operating Flex from its on-device touchscreen. You can use the touchscreen to control Flex whenever the robot is on. If your robot is on and the touchscreen is off, tap it once to wake the screen.

You can perform most functions either from the touchscreen or from a computer running the Opentrons App. You can choose how to control Opentrons Flex, depending on the needs of your lab.

One major difference between touchscreen and app operation is the software's relationship to the robot. The touchscreen is integrated, and therefore only controls the Flex robot that it's physically a part of. In contrast, the Opentrons App can control any number of Opentrons robots connected to the computer that's running the app. Using both pieces of software is required to set up Flex and run your first protocol, but it's up to you to decide the balance of how you will control Flex in your daily workflow.