OptoBlog

Ready to get more from your edge controller?

Posted by Janice Colmer on Sep 29, 2026, 10:33:28 AM

Reserve your seat at a groov EPIC Premium Factory Training class in 2027 and take your industrial automation skills to the next level.

Are you interested in learning more about edge controller technology? Do you need help achieving your company's digital transformation goals? Or are you seeking a more effective solution for your existing applications?

Get hands-on training from Opto 22 engineers and instructors at Opto 22 headquarters in Temecula, California. It's a chance to learn by doing, strengthen your programming skills, and tackle real-world application challenges.

The 2027 training class schedule has just been released! Be the first to reserve your seat and watch a video for a sneak peek at what you can expect when you get to Opto HQ. 

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Topics: Training, groov EPIC, Factory Training, groov RIO

Stay up to date with SNAP PAC firmware R10.7c

Posted by Janice Colmer on Sep 29, 2026, 10:04:50 AM

The latest firmware release is now available for your SNAP PAC System.

If you are using any of the following SNAP PAC System controllers or brains, you'll want to take a look at the new R10.7c update: 

SNAP PAC R-series
SNAP PAC S-series
SoftPAC
G4EB2 brains

See the latest fixes covered in this release.

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Topics: Firmware, PAC Control, snap pac, SoftPAC

One factory, NOW eight partners - See it live at #ICCUnleashed

Posted by Dan White on Sep 18, 2026, 7:30:00 AM

Three new partners, a palletizer on an Allen-Bradley PLC, and secure remote access to your legacy PLCs on demand.

If you're heading to the Ignition Community Conference next week, block out Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m. The ACME Dynamite factory we brought to Automate has grown since May, and ICC is your chance to see it live.

Quick refresher: ACME is a fictional dynamite plant built by real automation companies to answer a practical question: what happens when you pick the best tool for each layer instead of buying one vendor's whole stack?

Two lines batch and discharge product following ISA-88. Line 1 runs a well-tuned loop, Line 2 is deliberately untuned, and the trends show you what good tuning is worth. Everything on the screen is live. Go look: op22.co/acme.

Since our earlier post, we've added three partners and three new pieces of plant. You'll want to check it out.

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Topics: Ignition Edge, Ignition, Ignition Community Conference, Cirrus Link Solutions, Technology Partners, Ignition Cloud Edition

No Experience, No Problem—Building a control system in a week

Posted by Janice Colmer on Sep 15, 2026, 2:05:19 PM

New case study shows you how Optimum Technologies overcame a lack of experience in industrial controls to quickly build an entirely new thermal vacuum facility.

Can you build a sophisticated test and control system in just one week—with no controls experience?

Optimum Technologies did. Discover how they used groov EPIC to quickly build a thermal vacuum test system, streamline data collection and control, and even uncover a problem with their new test chamber.  

Get the details from this new case study, and see what you can take away for your own automation project.

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Topics: Case studies, Node-RED, Data acquisition, groov EPIC, industrial automation, aerospace

Using CODESYS in the field

Posted by Janice Colmer on Sep 15, 2026, 2:02:27 PM

Join Opto 22 for the 2026 Fall CODESYS Tech Talk series and learn from real-world CODESYS customer applications.

Are you challenged with selecting the programming tool that best suits your application? We get it, and that's why you have programming options to choose from in groov EPIC and groov RIO products.

One of the options is the CODESYS Development System, which lets you use all the standard tools and IEC 61131-3 programming methods, like ladder logic or sequential function charts.

In the free 2026 CODESYS Tech Talk series, watch how a customer in the mining industry used CODESYS with groov RIO to significantly cut hardware costs and engineering time. Opto 22 Director of Technical Marketing, Dan White, presents the customer application.

Get more event details and register to attend the Tech Talk.

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Topics: Case studies, Webinars, CODESYS, OptoPartner, groov RIO

How to monitor an entire water network from one screen

Posted by Janice Colmer on Sep 9, 2026, 7:39:36 AM

New case study explores a city's need for real-time visibility of its critical infrastructure—all through remote monitoring.

When you’re responsible for critical infrastructure spread across a city, knowing what’s happening at every site can be a major challenge.

For Kuala Lumpur’s River of Life project, operators needed real-time visibility into 25 remote pumping and treatment sites—without relying on routine site visits to discover problems.

See how their engineering team made a distributed infrastructure easier to manage.

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Topics: Case studies, Water & wastewater, groov EPIC, digital transformation

PID tuning made easier

Posted by Janice Colmer on Sep 9, 2026, 7:36:24 AM

A practical guide for learning about Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) loop control and tuning.

PID loops are everywhere in industrial automation—but getting them tuned for fast, stable, and efficient control can be a challenge.  

This new technical article defines the elements of a PID loop, reviews how PIDs are configured for Opto 22 devices, and introduces a free online tuner you can use for many loop controllers (not just Opto's). 

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Topics: PID loop control, groov EPIC, snap pac, technical tips

New groov EPIC and RIO firmware 4.1.3 available now

Posted by Dan White on Sep 2, 2026, 11:11:18 AM

A maintenance release: a few enhancements, one security patch, an updated Java runtime, current Ignition and Cirrus Link versions, and some bug fixes.

If you use or plan to use groov hardware, you’ll want to be aware of this small but important firmware release.

Firmware 4.1.3 handles upkeep and a few small enhancements: a web server security patch, current Ignition and Cirrus Link versions, and fixes for hostname registration, backup restores, and USB port control.

It’s available for every groov EPIC and groov RIO device ever shipped!

Here's what's in it and what each item means for your application.

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Topics: Updates, Firmware, groov EPIC, groov RIO

One factory, five partners, zero compromises

Posted by Dan White on Sep 2, 2026, 11:08:37 AM

See what happens when you stop asking one platform to do everything.

You want the best controllers, I/O, SCADA software, MES, & cloud infrastructure—not whatever comes bundled together. The catch has always been getting them to talk. Mix vendors and you're staring at custom drivers, brittle middleware, and a cloud project that stalls because nothing speaks the same language.

But open standards changed that. When every layer speaks MQTT Sparkplug and OPC UA, best-of-breed pieces snap together simply instead of fighting each other. You pick the best tool for each job, and they still run as one system.

You don't have to take our word for it. Five companies built a factory to prove it, and you can see it right now.

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Topics: Events & conferences, Inductive Automation, Cirrus Link Solutions, Technology Partners, interactive demo

Take a deep dive into CODESYS

Posted by Janice Colmer on Aug 26, 2026, 7:39:53 AM

The October 2026 groov EPIC Premium Factory Training class offers you a bonus workshop on advanced CODESYS programming topics.

Are you considering a controls system upgrade or just curious how groov EPIC compares to other systems you've used?

Do you need help configuring and programming hardware and software for your industrial automation or IIoT application?  

Here's your chance to attend factory training for the groov EPIC system—plus an additional workshop that offers more training on advanced features of the CODESYS programming option (included in EPIC).

Get all the details on the last Opto 22 training class of 2026.

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Topics: CODESYS, groov EPIC, Factory Training

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