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

Need help with your automation project?

Posted by Janice Colmer on Jan 17, 2024 8:39:05 AM

Choose the OptoPartner you need from Opto 22's growing network of system integrators.

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.

In projects verified by our engineers, these new partners have proven their engineering expertise and in-depth understanding of Opto 22 products, including groov EPIC and RIO.

We asked our new members to provide an overview of their companies, and here's what they had to say.

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Topics: Integrators, IIoT, OptoPartner

groov RIO with CODESYS lessons now on OptoU

Posted by Janice Colmer on Jan 10, 2024 9:29:01 AM

Get free online instruction for using the CODESYS runtime engine on groov RIO in the new training series.

A customer favorite in 2023 was the groov RIO 3.5 firmware release. With this release, you could use the groov RIO edge I/O module as a controller with the CODESYS runtime engine onboard.

This was a game changer for many of our customers. Our Director of Technical Marketing, Dan White, even shared one of the first applications taking advantage of the new RIO 3.5 features in this CODESYS Tech Talk with Costa Farms.  It illustrated how the addition of CODESYS has transformed groov RIO into a full-fledged Edge PLC, opening up a world of possibilities for automation and control.

Now you can get a better understanding of how this new feature can work in your application by following along with some brand-new lessons on OptoU—Opto 22's free online training site. 

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Topics: Training, CODESYS, OptoU, groov RIO

Case Study: Point Energy Partners

Posted by Janice Colmer on Jan 3, 2024 10:09:41 AM

Preventing spills and improving operational efficiency using Opto 22's groov RIO.

Texas-based Point Energy Partners (PEP) specializes in acquiring and developing onshore U.S. oil and gas properties with extensive experience working in major basins across the nation. PEP owns and operates the majority of the gathering and midstream assets for its operations, including its very large water recycling program, which showcases their commitment to sustainable and efficient resource management.

In an industry where every spill carries a hefty price tag, PEP found that the manual and low-tech systems at their water sites were a significant problem. These sites did not have a big budget for upgrades, so most control solutions on the market just wouldn’t fit the bill.

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Topics: Case studies, MQTT, CODESYS, Sparkplug, groov RIO, oil and gas

Top 10 Videos of 2023

Posted by Janice Colmer on Jan 3, 2024 9:59:25 AM

Did you watch all of the 10 most popular videos on the Opto 22 YouTube channel in 2023?

If you're one of the over 27,000 subscribers who follow the OptoVideo channel on YouTube, you have first access to all the new video content we produce. Whether it's a new Node-RED developer video, product overview, or a technical how-to workshop, you get it all.

So what topics proved most useful (and popular) with our viewers last year? Let's review Opto 22's Top 10 Videos of 2023.

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Topics: Videos, Node-RED, groov View, groov EPIC, groov Manage, groov RIO, YouTube

2023 Holiday Schedule

Posted by Janice Colmer on Dec 12, 2023 11:59:06 AM

Sending Season's Greetings and keeping you informed of our year-end holiday schedule.

Did you get in on the holiday fun earlier this month and get your groov EPIC holiday ornament? There's still time to watch Opto 22's holiday video and see how you can score your own mini 3D EPIC.

It's been a treat to hear how everyone is utilizing all the features the groov EPIC system has to offer. 

The Opto 22 team would once again like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season, as well as keep you informed of this month's holiday schedule.

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Topics: groov EPIC, holiday hours, holiday schedule

Wishing you an EPIC holiday season

Posted by Janice Colmer on Nov 30, 2023 8:00:00 AM

Watch how Opto 22's Terry Orchard is designing and spreading some EPIC holiday cheer this season.

As we near the end of 2023, the Opto 22 team would like to extend our warmest wishes and gratitude to all our customers, dedicated OptoPartners, and distributors for making it a successful year. We thank you for your continued business and support. 

From the Opto headquarters in Temecula, California, USA, to all our customers and partners worldwide, we wish you a happy and healthy holiday season. But we'd like to give you a token of our appreciation on a slightly smaller EPIC scale. Watch and see what our busy technical content creator, Terry Orchard, has been cooking up for the holidays.

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Topics: groov EPIC

A new and improved SVG and GIF library for your HMI projects

Posted by Janice Colmer on Nov 29, 2023 6:28:16 AM

Take your groov View HMI to the next level!

Are you building HMI screens to use with your groov EPIC (GRV-EPIC-PR1 or GRV-EPIC-PR2) or groov Server for Windows (GROOV-SVR-WIN-BASE)? We can help! We've just debuted a new section of the Opto 22 website where you can find all your SVGs, PNGs, GIFs, product images, and logos in one convenient location.

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, GIF

Advanced HMI Design

Posted by Janice Colmer on Nov 16, 2023 9:13:36 AM

Learn advanced design techniques for groov View in the latest groov workshop video.

Opto 22's Paul Hardt shows you ways to make your groov View operator interface even better—with a basic layout structure, a grid for lining up HMI elements, and layered gadgets. With browser-based groov View, you can easily build an HMI to see and interact with exactly what you need. groov View is included with groov EPIC and groov Server for Windows. 

Recently, Paul showed you the groov View Quick Start Guide, outlining 3 simple steps to an HMI. This time he takes a deeper dive into what you can do with the more advanced features of the design tool.

Watch: Advanced HMI Design Techniques with groov View.

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Topics: groov View, groov EPIC, HMI

groov EPIC Learning Center returns

Posted by Janice Colmer on Nov 8, 2023 7:21:00 AM

Learn and experiment with your own updated groov EPIC Learning Center 2

The new groov EPIC Learning Center 2 is in production now—and it includes even more features and capabilities than the original! See what's included in the new GRV-EPIC-LC2, and be ready to take on your industrial automation and IIoT applications.

A complete package of fully functioning EPIC hardware and software, the groov EPIC Learning Center is designed as an integral part of our free OptoU Online Training at training.opto22.com.

So what's new this time around?

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Topics: Training, Node-RED, CODESYS, groov EPIC, groov EPIC Learning Center, Ignition

Let's talk industrial cybersecurity

Posted by Janice Colmer on Nov 1, 2023 8:31:51 AM

Tune in to the latest episode of the Manufacturing Hub Network podcast for an in-depth discussion on industrial cybersecurity.

Still learning the best ways to keep your industrial control systems secure and ready to defend against cyber attacks? October was ICS Cybersecurity month, and the hosts from the Manufacturing Hub Network podcast focused on it all month long.

Vlad Romanov and Dave Griffith welcomed back Opto 22's Benson Hougland to the podcast to wrap up their security series.

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Topics: MQTT, cybersecurity, industrial automation, podcast, manufacturing

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