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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

System integrators to network in Denver

Posted by Janice Colmer on Jun 13, 2022 9:50:37 AM

The annual CSIA Conference is back and takes a deep dive into "The Future of Work"

The annual CSIA Executive Conference is once again an in-person event. Join 500+ system integrators and industry partners in Denver, Colorado, June 27-30, 2022.

To help you navigate this (pandemic-influenced) new world, the 2022 CSIA Executive Conference will take a deep dive into “The Future of Work.” From keynote presentations to panel discussions to one-on-one networking, you’ll discover how thought leaders, industry experts, and most importantly, your peers are addressing these challenges.

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Topics: Events & conferences, industrial automation, system integrator, OptoPartner, Inductive Automation

Launching a Nationwide Equipment Network

Posted by Janice Colmer on Jun 9, 2022 9:11:16 AM

ALTA Refrigeration achieves faster, easier product development and servicing with groov EPIC and MQTT.

What’s the secret to providing superior service and staying competitive in a changing market? Over ten years, ALTA Refrigeration transformed itself from a custom engineering services company into a scalable industrial equipment manufacturer. Read their case study.

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Topics: Case studies, MQTT, groov EPIC

Join us in June: upcoming events showcase groov EPIC and RIO

Posted by Janice Colmer on May 31, 2022 7:00:00 AM

Check our list of June 2022 events to see if there is an opportunity to see groov EPIC or RIO in your area.

We've just updated the Opto 22 events calendar and June is shaping up to be a busy month of conferences and seminars. Get registration and agenda details on each of these upcoming shows and we hope you can join us on the road!

  • ARC Industry Forum - June 6-9, 2022 - Orlando, FL
  • Ignition Discovery Day - June 9, 2022 - Orlando, FL
  • Ignition Oil & Gas Collective - June 22, 2022 - Houston, TX
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Topics: Events & conferences, groov EPIC, Ignition, groov RIO

Learn the benefits of power and energy monitoring

Posted by Janice Colmer on May 26, 2022 11:43:03 AM

Better machine health, lower energy costs: see the financial and operational advantages in this new video.

Why isn't energy accounted for the same as other major business expenditures? It's time to change that. Opto 22's Director of Business Development, Arun Sinha, shows what you gain when you implement a plan to monitor and manage energy consumption and power usage.

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Topics: Energy management, Videos, groov EPIC, power monitoring, groov rio emu

Important: Update to continue sending emails from Opto 22 products

Posted by Janice Colmer on May 18, 2022 7:00:00 AM

New technical note shows you how to update security settings for your email applications.

You can use many Opto 22 products to send email notifications to keep engineers and technicians aware of important conditions in your system. For example:

  • You can send email through a PAC Control strategy running on a groov EPIC or SNAP PAC controller.
  • Your groov View HMI can send event notifications via email.
  • Your Node-RED flow on groov RIO or groov EPIC can send email.

But you must make changes now to keep receiving emails!

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Topics: PAC Control, Node-RED, groov View, groov EPIC, snap pac, groov RIO, email notifications

Use Swagger UI to make API calls with Node-RED

Posted by Janice Colmer on May 11, 2022 9:20:23 AM

Next up in the Node-RED videos series is a tutorial about using Swagger to help set up API calls.

In under 20 minutes, this new developer video from Terry Orchard will take you through all the steps you need to get a solid understanding of using Swagger UI pages to create API calls you can bring into Node-RED. Using them together, you can control all sorts of APIs from your groov device, both getting and posting data, using simple Node-RED.

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Topics: Videos, Node-RED, groov Manage, developer

IntegrateLIVE! - Protect your control network with open solutions

Posted by Janice Colmer on May 3, 2022 10:00:00 AM

Take part in a new virtual workshop that brings together changemakers in automation.

IntegrateLive! is a new collaboration that aligns integrators, vendors, and end users that share these values:

OPEN: Dedicated to making data flow freely between solutions and willing to work with others, even when they are competitors.
SERVICE: Fair business practices, publicly available pricing, and clear communication about what works and what doesn't.
HUMBLE: Not believing we have all the answers. Together we are better. Striving to learn from others and serve others at the same time.

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

Opto 22 is excited to be a part of this open collaboration and invites you to witness live demonstrations of different vendors' technologies working together.

This post has been updated since it's original publication date. The IntegrateLive! workshop recording is now available for on-demand viewing. Watch now.

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Topics: Events & conferences, groov EPIC, cybersecurity, groov RIO, open source

Create a data table in Node-RED

Posted by Janice Colmer on May 2, 2022 1:37:37 PM

Next up in the Node-RED developer video series is a tutorial on adding data tables.

Did you know that you can install additional gadgets to the Node-RED dashboard? Terry Orchard returns to the OptoStudio to show off the features of the ui-table node. Learn how to install the table node package and configure different kinds of tables to fit your needs, complete with several examples using live, real-world data. 

 

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Topics: Videos, Node-RED, groov EPIC, groov RIO

Meet more OptoPartners

Posted by Janice Colmer on Apr 25, 2022 8:00:00 AM

Introducing the latest system integrators to join the OptoPartner program

The newest members of the OptoPartner program come from all around the world. Take a look at the descriptions below and see if one might be a fit for your next project.

Our engineers have verified the projects these new partners have been involved in, so you can be assured they have proven their engineering expertise and in-depth understanding of Opto 22 hardware (including groov EPIC) and software.

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Topics: Integrators, IIoT, OptoPartner

Power & Energy Monitoring - Why and how?

Posted by Janice Colmer on Apr 19, 2022 9:54:36 AM

New website resources outline how to securely access and share your energy data.

Opto 22 gives you lots of options when it comes to helping you monitor your power and energy usage.  The groov RIO EMU (energy monitoring unit) is an edge I/O module meant for easy distributed power and energy monitoring of one 3-phase load. Check out our previous announcements for all the details.

However, for monitoring multiple loads located near each other, and for a complete system including real-time control, groov EPIC with power monitoring modules might be the better choice.

But, you might have more questions about which is the right solution for you, why and how do you get started monitoring your machine health or energy data? And how do you do it securely?

Check out our new website resources for some guidance on these important energy topics.

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Topics: Energy management, groov EPIC, groov RIO, power monitoring

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