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.
Find me on:

Recent Posts

How to set up port redirection on groov EPIC

Posted by Janice Colmer on Nov 11, 2021 9:55:48 AM

Newly added in EPIC firmware 3.3.1 : manage unsecured devices on-prem or at remote sites through secure, on-demand connections.

Last week in the OptoBlog, Ben Orchard shared an overview of what's included in the latest groov EPIC firmware update 3.3.1. One of the highlights was a new networking tool: Port Redirect.

If you've updated to 3.3.1 and you're itching to try this new feature out, here's a step-by-step outline on how it works on a groov EPIC (GRV-EPIC-PR1 or GRV-EPIC-PR2).

Read More

Topics: Firmware, groov EPIC, port redirect

SNAP PAC to groov EPIC - is it time?

Posted by Janice Colmer on Nov 9, 2021 4:01:42 PM

Opto 22's updated technical note helps current SNAP PAC users decide if, when, and how to migrate to the newer groov EPIC system.

Opto 22 customers have been relying on the SNAP PAC system for their controls and automation applications for almost 15 years. But now you keep hearing about the new technology of the groov EPIC system.

How is it different?

Should you make the switch?

What would be the benefits of upgrading, and what issues would arise from making the change?

Read More

Topics: I/O, PAC Display, groov View, groov EPIC, snap pac

MQTT & Sparkplug success stories

Posted by Janice Colmer on Nov 2, 2021 10:21:27 AM

A recent webinar hosted by the Eclipse Foundation highlights the power of MQTT with Sparkplug in industrial automation applications.

As a member of the Eclipse Foundation's Sparkplug Working Group, Opto 22 was invited to participate in a webinar with fellow group members to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Sparkplug protocol.

Sparkplug is ready to transform the automation industry by making MQTT infrastructure interoperable, out of the box. Watch and learn from case study examples how this technology can make digital transformation a reality.

Read More

Topics: Webinars, MQTT, groov EPIC, Sparkplug

CODESYS and groov EPIC in the real world

Posted by Janice Colmer on Oct 27, 2021 10:46:38 AM

Watch the "CODESYS in the field" presentation from the Fall 2021 CODESYS Tech Talk.

In case you missed the Fall CODESYS Tech Talk virtual event, we have an important session to share with you. As an experienced Opto 22 user and engineer, Jared Bates from Rust Automation & Controls joined us to present a current water/wastewater application that uses the CODESYS runtime engine on groov EPIC.

Read More

Topics: Events & conferences, CODESYS, groov EPIC

groov RIO is a contender again

Posted by Janice Colmer on Oct 27, 2021 9:52:41 AM

The groov RIO MM2 has been announced as a finalist for Control Engineering magazine's annual awards program.

It's that time of year again! Control Engineering just revealed their line up of new products that represent some of this year's best innovations in control, instrumentation and automation.  Products fall under 19 different categories ranging from hardware, IIoT, machine control, and motion control, to network integration, power, process control, safety and software.

We're pleased to announce that Opto 22's second groov RIO model (GRV-R7-MM2001-10) has been named a finalist in the I/O & Networking Edge Computing category. Now it's up to engineering and automation professionals like yourself to cast your votes and determine the 2022 winners.

VOTE NOW

Read More

Topics: Awards and recognition, groov RIO

New video: Cybersecurity out of the box

Posted by Janice Colmer on Oct 18, 2021 9:19:34 AM

Watch and learn what it means to have a secure industrial controls system.

Industrial automation has long been known to carry cybersecurity vulnerabilities at the levels of both technology and practice. Legacy PLCs weren’t designed for connections to untrusted LANs or the internet, and the old password-on-a-sticky-note security policy just doesn’t cut it anymore. So, what's the solution?

Read More

Topics: groov EPIC, cybersecurity, EPIC Security

2 million views and counting

Posted by Janice Colmer on Oct 11, 2021 7:30:00 AM

Opto 22's YouTube channel is growing with more videos and subscribers.

What started several years ago as a platform to host a few Opto 22 product videos has now reached a new milestone. The Opto 22 YouTube channel recently reached 2 million views and is closing in on 20,000 subscribers.

Whether you're new to the industrial automation industry, or are looking for specific developer tips on using MQTT or Node-RED, the OptoVideo channel is your one stop for all things automation and digital transformation. 

Read More

Topics: Case studies, Webinars, Node-RED, MQTT, groov EPIC, automation 101, Ignition, groov RIO, YouTube

Get quick and affordable OEE data

Posted by Janice Colmer on Oct 6, 2021 8:00:00 AM

A recent webinar with Opto 22 technology partner Sepasoft demonstrates flexible MES solutions with groov RIO.

In case you missed it, recorded sessions from last month's Sepasoft virtual conference are now available. Opto 22 participated in one session that explored new possibilities for evolving your MES architecture quickly and more robustly than ever before with the help of Sepasoft's OEE Cloud platform and groov RIO.

Read More

Topics: Webinars, groov RIO, OEE, Technology Partners, Sepasoft

Join us at the Fall 2021 CODESYS Tech Talk

Posted by Janice Colmer on Sep 29, 2021 8:26:06 AM

The upcoming 5-day virtual event is your chance to learn, engage and discuss CODESYS tech innovations and engineering in real-time.

CODESYS is a free, platform-independent IEC 61131-3 programming tool for industrial automation systems. And if you use groov EPIC controllers, you already know EPIC supports CODESYS as a control programming option and runtime engine. CODESYS GmbH is one of Opto 22's valued Technology Partners, and we are once again participating in their semi-annual user conference.

Read More

Topics: Webinars, Events & conferences, CODESYS, groov EPIC, Technology Partners

Unlocking data from your PLC live at ICC

Posted by Janice Colmer on Sep 27, 2021 8:00:00 AM

The recording of Opto 22's live product demo from the 2021 Ignition Community Conference is now available.

Were you able to attend Inductive Automation's annual Ignition Community Conference (ICC) last week? This two-day virtual event featured developer panel discussions, case studies of real-world Ignition projects, the annual build-a-thon, as well as several exhibitor demo sessions. 

Opto 22's presentation demonstrated the power of Ignition on our groov EPIC and RIO platforms, and the recorded webinar is now available for on-demand viewing.

Read More

Topics: groov EPIC, EPIC Security, Ignition Community Conference, webinar

    Subscribe to Email Updates

    Recent Posts

    Posts by Topic

    see all