OptoBlog

Janice Colmer

Janice has worked at Opto 22 for nearly 20 years and is part of the marketing team that strives to share new and relevant content with the automation industry. She enjoys books, camping, country music, and spending time with family and friends.
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Recent Posts

Connecting PLCs to the Internet...securely

Posted by Janice Colmer on Nov 2, 2022 9:00:00 AM

Watch the recording of episode 8 of IntegrateLive! - as Opto 22 and Phoenix Contact connect their PLCs to web APIs to leverage data.

If you're not familiar with IntegrateLive! yet, we encourage you to check out this new online community. Jeff Knepper and Allen Ray created this platform to help all end users, manufacturers, and system integrators in the industrial automation space.

The importance of open source technologies working together is the foundation of IL and it celebrates "Co-op-etition"—which is what brought Opto 22 and Phoenix Contact together in this latest episode.

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Topics: Node-RED, groov EPIC, webinar, system integration

Welcome IoT Certified OptoPartner: Blue Ridge Automation

Posted by Janice Colmer on Nov 2, 2022 8:19:14 AM

Indiana-based system integrator brings MES, Ignition, and groov product knowledge to take your manufacturing project to the next level.

Based in Pendleton, Indiana, Blue Ridge Automation serves the midwestern United States and has completed nationwide projects as well.

Like other IoT Certified OptoPartners, Blue Ridge has proved their expertise in edge control and I/O technology using groov EPIC and groov RIO as part of their solutions, most recently in successful large-scale applications.

Get to know Blue Ridge in their own words: "Transforming Manufacturing Beyond Limits"

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Topics: IoT, IIoT, groov EPIC, system integrator, OptoPartner, groov RIO, OptoPartner video

An EPIC Build-a-Thon Challenge

Posted by Janice Colmer on Oct 26, 2022 9:10:52 AM

Opto 22's groov EPIC took center stage at this year's tenth annual Ignition Community Conference (ICC X).

If you've attended an Ignition Community Conference (ICC) in the past, then you know the Build-a-Thon is one of the most highly anticipated and attended events during the two-day conference.

This year, instead of a single challenge demonstrated on the live event stage, Inductive Automation promoted the Build-a-Thon competition in the weeks leading up to the conference. Premier Ignition integrators were encouraged to compete by taking on a series of Ignition-based challenges, acquiring points on a leaderboard along the way. The top two point leaders—DMC and Roeslein & Associates—moved on to compete live on stage at this year's tenth annual ICC event

groov EPIC was also asked to be a part of this year's competition, and Opto 22 engineering and manufacturing staff proved they were up for the challenge! Watch the Build-a-Thon and see how the groov EPIC hardware panel played an important role in demonstrating innovative Ignition projects that helped determine this year's winner.

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Topics: Ignition Edge, groov EPIC, Ignition, Ignition Community Conference

ICC X Panel Discussion "Drain the Data Lake" now available

Posted by Janice Colmer on Oct 25, 2022 12:31:59 PM

Watch the panel discussion from the 2022 Ignition Community Conference that brought together experts involved in the industry-changing State of Indiana Energy INsights project.

Dedicated readers of the OptoBlog (and we appreciate you!) might recall previous posts talking about our participation in a project that's changing the way manufacturers do business in Indiana. Introduced in a Cirrus Link Solutions webinar as well as outlined in a Control news article, the significance of this project can not be overstated.

Indiana is leading the way in advancing manufacturers to make Industry 4.0 quick, simple, and cost-effective. The state has launched a first-of-its-kind program to enable its manufacturing industries to become the Factories of the Future.

So it was no surprise when the project turned up as a panel discussion topic at this year's tenth annual Ignition Community Conference. Some industry names you might recognize came together for an important conversation.

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Topics: Energy management, groov EPIC, Ignition, Ignition Community Conference, groov RIO, manufacturing

CODESYS Library Package gets new OptoMMP features

Posted by Janice Colmer on Oct 19, 2022 12:24:26 PM

Version 3.0.0 of the Opto 22 Library Package for the CODESYS Development System is now available.

For all of you taking advantage of the CODESYS programming environment available for groov EPIC, you'll want to hear about this week's version 3.0.0 release of the Opto 22 CODESYS library package. With CODESYS, you can program groov EPIC for industrial control and monitoring using any familiar IEC 61131-3 compliant language.

Version 3.0.0 brings you a new collection of OptoMMP client function blocks you can use to access any area of an Opto 22 device's memory map.

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Topics: Updates, CODESYS, groov EPIC

More options for HMI animations

Posted by Janice Colmer on Oct 19, 2022 10:07:48 AM

New images and animations are added to our SVG image library and GIFs resource page.

Are you building HMI screens to use with your groov EPIC (GRV-EPIC-PR1 or GRV-EPIC-PR2)? Be sure to visit our website resource pages to help customize your HMI. We've expanded the SVG Image Library as well as the Animated GIFs section of the site.

These images and animations work especially well if you're using browser-based groov View. Included with your EPIC, groov View lets you easily build an operator interface to see and interact with exactly the devices and data you need. Choose from a variety of images suited for all kinds of industrial applications. 

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Topics: groov View, groov EPIC, HMI, SVG

Connecting PLCs to the Internet to Drive Sustainability

Posted by Janice Colmer on Oct 12, 2022 12:05:31 PM

Join us for another episode of an IntegrateLive! virtual workshop showcasing Linux-based PLCs.

Have you attended any virtual workshops hosted by the IntegrateLive! community? The IL platform started earlier this year as a collaboration that aligns integrators, vendors, and end users. Each episode brings together "changemakers in automation" who show how open source technologies work well together.

The result? An integrated solution ecosystem that you can use to solve everyday industrial problems.

Opto 22 is once again participating in this month's live demo to show the capabilities of edge controllers like groov EPIC. We'll be joined by Phoenix Contact in this 8th episode of IntegrateLive, happening October 26th at 8:00 am PDT (11:00 am EDT). Register to attend.

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Topics: Node-RED, groov EPIC, edge computing, webinar, IntegrateLive!

groov EPIC, RIO, and Ignition solutions on display at SPS Germany

Posted by Janice Colmer on Oct 11, 2022 10:03:47 AM

Opto 22 teams up with Inductive Automation and distributor MPI Technologies AG at this year's SPS event in Nuremberg, Germany. 

The SPS - Smart Production Solutions exhibition covers the entire spectrum of smart and digital automation, and its focus is on practical solutions for your specific business area.

Join Opto 22, Inductive Automation, and joint Swiss distributor MPI Technologies AG for live demonstrations of digital transformation software and hardware solutions using Ignition with groov EPIC and groov RIO

These solutions work together to address challenges in digitally transforming your manufacturing operations securely and at scale. Ignition will be featured both on servers and running on the edge, illustrating several flexible architectures to fit your project needs.

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Topics: Events & conferences, Ignition, SPS

ICC 2022 live demo now available on demand

Posted by Janice Colmer on Oct 5, 2022 12:00:00 PM

Watch Opto 22's product solution demo from day two of this year's virtual Ignition Community Conference (ICCX).

Were you able to attend this week's virtual ICCX event? As in previous years, Opto 22 was a sponsor, presenter and exhibitor at the annual conference. We kicked off day two of the exhibitor presentations with a product solution demo featuring groov EPIC and groov RIO

In this half-hour, rapid-fire presentation, we demonstrated the power of edge computing and 4 edge architectures using Ignition and Ignition Edge. Watch a live demonstration of these technologies in action, and see how you can build edge architectures for your digital transformation projects.  

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Topics: Webinars, Ignition Edge, groov EPIC, Ignition, Ignition Community Conference, groov RIO, digital transformation

Try out groov View on your smartphone or computer

Posted by Janice Colmer on Oct 5, 2022 10:55:22 AM

Visit our free groov View demo site to see how this user interface works in a variety of applications.

If you've used groov EPIC controllers, then you might be familiar with the groov View HMI software built into these edge products. 

From pumps and processes to production data to the weather, your world is full of things you need to control, view, or monitor. With browser-based groov View, you can easily build a web-based, responsive operator interface to see and interact with exactly what you need.

Did you know you can access Opto 22's groov demo site to see groov View being used in a variety of applications? It's a great way to take a deeper dive into how this custom HMI tool works.

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Topics: groov View, groov EPIC, HMI, groov RIO

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