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

Getting started with Sparkplug

Posted by Janice Colmer on Mar 21, 2022 8:36:39 AM

Attend a virtual Sparkplug Community meeting about the Sparkplug protocol to see first hand how it can be useful for your projects.

Ready to jump in the Sparkplug ecosystem? Unsure about where to start? The goal of this meeting of the Sparkplug community is to help you plan your adoption strategy. Please join us on March 24th for a Sparkplug Community meeting.

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Topics: Webinars, IIoT, MQTT, Sparkplug, Eclipse Foundation

Introduction to JSON for Node-RED

Posted by Janice Colmer on Mar 18, 2022 8:00:00 AM

New Opto 22 Developer Broadcast video makes the JSON data format easy to understand.

OptoBlog followers are most likely familiar with Terry Orchard's Node-RED video series, and he's recently added a new video to that playlist. This time, Terry's goal is to introduce you to the JSON data format, so it's easy to understand and simple to get started with.

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Topics: Videos, IoT, Node-RED, developer, json

SNAP-B3000-ENET reaches end-of-life

Posted by Janice Colmer on Mar 15, 2022 11:21:06 AM

It's the end of an era for Opto 22's original SNAP Ethernet I/O

First introduced in 1998, the venerable SNAP-B3000-ENET was the genesis of our SNAP Ethernet I/O line. Genuinely industry-changing when we first launched it, now, we regret to announce that Opto 22 is nearing the end of production for this flagship legacy product.

As you know, we always continue producing older products as long as technically possible (see Opto 22's product philosophy). But unfortunately, we are once again faced with the unavailability of essential parts that make up the original Ethernet I/O. Although limited inventory is still available, SNAP-B3000-ENET will become obsolete once current stock is depleted.

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Topics: PACs, snap pac

ISA Webinar - IIoT and Smart Manufacturing

Posted by Janice Colmer on Mar 7, 2022 7:00:00 AM

Join Opto 22 and a team of presenters for a virtual discussion of how to Turn Your Data into Asset Models.

The International Society of Automation (ISA) is hosting a series of free virtual events with a focus on IIoT and Smart Manufacturing. Opto 22's Benson Hougland will be presenting at the next webinar: Turn Your Data into Asset Models. Please join us on March 15th at 10:00 am PDT.

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Topics: Webinars, IIoT, MQTT, Sparkplug, smart manufacturing

CODESYS and groov EPIC in the field

Posted by Janice Colmer on Mar 1, 2022 1:34:18 PM

Attend the "CODESYS in the field" presentation at the Spring 2022 CODESYS Tech Talk.

The Spring 2022 CODESYS Tech Talk returns! As the only event dedicated exclusively to CODESYS users in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the Tech Talk focuses on the latest and exciting innovations in all areas related to the engineering of control systems. 

This 5 day virtual event is your chance to learn, engage and discuss tech innovations and engineering in real-time. Join the discussions with CODESYS experts and delve into the CODESYS cloud-based platform, the CODESYS software architecture, and the various Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) possibilities.

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Topics: Events & conferences, CODESYS, groov EPIC

Welcome 2 more OptoPartners

Posted by Janice Colmer on Feb 22, 2022 4:44:05 PM

The Opto 22 network of system integrators continues to grow in 2022.

We're excited to report we have more business partners that have earned the OptoPartner seal of approval. They have proven their engineering expertise and in-depth understanding of Opto 22 hardware (including groov EPIC) and software and have already used it to help customers find ideal automation and IIoT solutions. As in previous blog posts, we asked our new partners to share a quick overview of their company with you.

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Topics: Integrators, IIoT, OptoPartner

Flexible, low-cost water monitoring with edge I/O

Posted by Janice Colmer on Feb 11, 2022 7:30:00 AM

Remote I/O over MQTT helps Rust Automation deploy affordable remote monitoring in a challenging environment.

Did you watch the Fall CODESYS Tech Talk virtual event that we shared with you last October? It demonstrated how the CODESYS runtime engine works and why it's included on Opto 22's groov EPIC.

Jared Bates, from OptoPartner Rust Automation & Controls, joined us for that presentation. He discussed a current water management application that utilizes CODESYS on EPIC, groov RIO remote I/O, and MQTT for secure data communications. 

Now, we've put the story of all that cutting-edge technology into a case study, so you can dig into all the details!

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Topics: Case studies, Node-RED, CODESYS, groov View, groov EPIC, OptoPartner, groov RIO

groov RIO MM2 is an award winner!

Posted by Janice Colmer on Feb 8, 2022 8:00:00 AM

Opto 22 takes another Engineers' Choice award in Control Engineering magazine's annual competition.

Thank you for making the groov RIO MM2 the choice of engineers! We were honored to learn that our newly introduced edge I/O product was named a 2022  Engineers' Choice Award winner in the 35th annual Control Engineering awards program.  

The Engineers’ Choice Awards shine a light on 19 categories of control, instrumentation, and automation products, revealing the best of those introduced in 2021 as chosen by the Control Engineering print and digital audience. These votes recognized groov RIO MM2 as the leader in the I/O Networking and Edge Computing category.

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Topics: Awards and recognition, Ignition Edge, groov RIO

Monitor machine health with precise power data

Posted by Janice Colmer on Feb 4, 2022 7:00:00 AM

Product Announcement: New groov RIO EMU (energy monitoring unit)

Opto 22 has exciting product news to announce this week! Introducing the latest offering in our groov RIO product line: groov RIO EMU (energy monitoring unit), GRV-R7-I1VAPM-3.

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Topics: Energy management, New products, groov RIO, power monitoring

Video: How to create SSL/TLS certificates with groov devices

Posted by Janice Colmer on Feb 3, 2022 1:03:51 PM

Follow this new cybersecurity video series demonstrating key product features that keep your systems safe.

Terry Orchard is back in the OptoDemo studio and delivering some valuable content you don't want to miss! His latest developer video series takes a closer look at using self-signed certificates with your groov EPIC or groov RIO devices.

The goal is to ensure both trusted and encrypted connections—another way groov products deliver cybersecurity right out of the box.

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Topics: groov EPIC, cybersecurity, certificate, groov RIO

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