OptoBlog

50 years of Opto 22 - a personal perspective

Posted by Dan White on Jul 22, 2024 9:33:28 AM

In 1974, Robert Engman III stared down at 22 optically isolated, highly reliable, liquid epoxy-filled, solid state relays (SSRs) with no moving parts—quite an innovation back then—and he contemplated what to name the new company.

The result? "Opto" signifies optical isolation, and the "22" represents the original lineup of 22 relays. But this year, there’s another important number that we need to discuss—50!

Yes, Opto 22 is 50. Years. Young

This week, as we celebrate Opto’s Golden Anniversary of existence, I’d be remiss not to reflect on the legacy of a company I have loved being a part of for the last decade. And while my 11 years may seem like a long time, many of the folks I work with each day have tenures twice or thrice as long—they’ve been carrying the torch, maintaining the legacy that we are still building today.

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Topics: groov EPIC, snap pac, groov RIO, Anniversary

OEM Integrates Open SDKs to Stay Competitive

Posted by Janice Colmer on Jul 16, 2024 9:39:26 AM

Laundry OEM Gurtler Industries reinvents their dispensing systems with groov EPIC and Opto 22's free Software Development Kits (SDKs).

What do you do when competitors in the chemical storage and dispensing industry are surpassing you, and a shift in technology is needed to put you back at the forefront of laundry operations?

Learn how Gurtler Industries, a third-generation family business based in the United States Midwest, regained its position as a leading provider of laundry chemical products, services, and support for many industries including healthcare, hospitality, and textile rentals. When their competitors began leveraging data collection, remote monitoring, and enhanced visualizations, Gurtler knew they also needed to expand the capabilities of their dispensing systems to maintain their competitive market position.

In this case study, find out how Gurtler Industries was able to stay ahead of the competition by transitioning to an open-source platform with Opto 22's free Software Development Kits (SDKs) and advanced hardware solutions.

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Topics: Case studies, OEM, PAC Control, groov EPIC, sdk

Break Through with Opto 22 at ICC 2024

Posted by Janice Colmer on Jul 15, 2024 12:41:59 PM

The annual Ignition Community Conference is your opportunity to see how Ignition software can provide new, innovative solutions for your projects and industrial applications.

The exciting tradition continues as Inductive Automation recently announced the dates and theme of this year's Ignition Community Conference. We invite you to attend the 2024 Ignition Community Conference taking place September 17 - 19th in Folsom, California, and experience your own "A-ha!" moment. 

Meet industry thought leaders, see innovative Ignition use cases, and learn from Ignition experts. And of course, meet with Opto 22 engineers and see live demos of groov EPIC and groov RIO working together with Ignition.

This year's "Breakthrough" theme is focused on three categories designed to educate about Ignition software:

  • Keynote speakers, exhibitor presentations, and table talks
  • Product announcements revealing software version updates and exciting new features
  • Discover Gallery with videos and project demonstrations of real-world Ignition application scenarios from a variety of industries, from all over the world

This event has sold out the last few years, so get your tickets now! Attend in person or with a livestream pass.

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Topics: Events & conferences, groov EPIC, Ignition, Ignition Community Conference, groov RIO, Inductive Automation, energy monitoring

Case Study: Varland Plating Upgrades 30-Year-Old Legacy System

Posted by Janice Colmer on Jul 8, 2024 2:26:33 PM

How do you go from serial comms to serious SCADA without downtime or compromise?

Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Varland Plating has provided high quality, precision barrel-plated finishes to their customers since 1946. Varland manually performed plating operations until the early 1990s. Then automated systems improved turnaround times and product quality. More recently, the company saw the advanced capabilities of Opto 22's groov products—smaller equipment footprint, Ethernet, data visibility, and more—and entered a new era of industrial automation.

In this case study, find out how Varland Plating was able to bring a 30-year-old automation system into the future without downtime or compromising their SCADA goals.

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Topics: Case studies, groov EPIC, serial module, Ignition

Webinar Recording: Assembling the Puzzle Pieces of Digital Transformation

Posted by Janice Colmer on Jul 8, 2024 1:45:20 PM

Learn how all the pieces of digital transformation come together to add another level of data connectivity and security to your projects.

Did you attend last month's Digital Transformation webinar? The discussion revolved around data, connectivity, and cybersecurity, so you can improve your industrial processes. In case you missed it or would like to watch it again, here's your chance!
 
Webinar host Inductive Automation released the recording of the complete presentation so you can watch on demand. Opto 22 joins fellow Inductive Automation Solution Partners for a step-by-step demonstration of how to build a scalable system for SCADA, MES, IIoT, and Digital Transformation.
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Topics: Webinars, groov EPIC, Ignition, groov RIO, digital transformation, Inductive Automation

Update to groov RIO 3.6

Posted by Ben Orchard on Jun 26, 2024 8:07:00 AM

Get Enterprise WiFi and several other updates in the latest free firmware download of groov RIO.

If you have been getting some friction from your IT department about connecting any of the groov RIO family to your corporate WiFi network, this firmware update is for you!

Just like the groov EPIC firmware update 3 weeks ago, we have added WPA-2 Enterprise WiFi connectivity to the groov RIO MM1, MM2 and EMU (Energy Monitoring Unit).

This enterprise WiFi configuration complements the existing LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) authentication options, which have been part of the RIO for a long time.

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Topics: Updates, Firmware, groov RIO, groov rio emu

Learn about the world of SCADA

Posted by Janice Colmer on Jun 24, 2024 2:35:42 PM

Join Opto 22 and several industry experts at the first annual OT SCADA CON event in Houston.

Dive into the world of operational technology and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems with industry experts and fellow enthusiasts. Opto 22 is a proud sponsor of a first-of-its-kind SCADA event taking place in Houston July 25–26, 2024: OT SCADA CON.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to expand your knowledge and grow your professional network. It promises to be the perfect chance to connect, learn, and network in person.

OT SCADA CON is for controls people, maintenance staff, technicians, and sales professionals to learn all about operational technology and the world of SCADA.

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Topics: Events & conferences, groov EPIC, industrial automation, groov RIO, SCADA, OT data

Build better manufacturing information management solutions

Posted by Janice Colmer on Jun 14, 2024 1:56:20 PM

Two recent IntegrateLive! workshops on open source and interoperable manufacturing systems are now available to watch on demand.

With a promise to revolutionize your approach to information management, the IntegrateLive! team hosted a two-part webinar series focused on solving information management challenges in the manufacturing industry. 

The PI System, once popular in the industrial automation space, was acquired a few years ago by Aveva. Since this change, there's been a bit of turmoil in the market, causing former PI enthusiasts to look for other ways to acquire and manage their manufacturing data—without being locked in to a specific vendor.

This IL webinar offers new open source and cybersecure solutions...with a live build to show you how. They invited IL community members from Software Toolbox, Inc., Canary, Flow Software Inc., and even brought some groov hardware from Opto 22 to demonstrate.

Now you can watch both webinars here in the OptoBlog. 

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Topics: Webinars, groov RIO, smart manufacturing, manufacturing, IntegrateLive!

Take your projects to the next level with groov EPIC training

Posted by Janice Colmer on Jun 12, 2024 8:40:53 AM

Premium Factory Training classes provide hands-on instruction for choosing the best programming options for your control applications.

Looking for a reason to attend groov EPIC Premium Factory Training at Opto 22 headquarters? Are your projects requiring technology that can do much more than a PLC?

The monthly in-person training sessions offered at Opto 22 headquarters help you expand your skill set and find easier ways to meet your current application challenges. The team of Opto 22 instructors are committed to helping each student succeed—no matter your years of experience, skill level, range of interests or goals.

Learn system components and configuration, networking capabilities, diagnostics, troubleshooting, and communication methods that you can apply to your own industrial automation application. You might just build a complete solution before you leave!

At the conclusion of each class, students are encouraged to share their feedback with the training staff. Hear what this month's students had to say about their groov EPIC training experience. Then register to join us for the next class!

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Topics: Training, groov EPIC, Factory Training

Assembling the Puzzle Pieces of Digital Transformation

Posted by Janice Colmer on Jun 10, 2024 2:17:06 PM

Register to attend an Inductive Automation Solution Partner Webinar—presented by Inductive Automation, Cirrus Link Solutions, Sepasoft, Opto 22, and 4IR Solutions.

Digital Transformation is a multi-layered process that requires data and connectivity on every level. Each level of connectivity presents its own challenges and complexities, but you can definitely achieve Digital Transformation when you have the right lineup of solutions.

In this one-hour webinar, you'll see how to build a scalable system for SCADA, MES, IIoT, and Digital Transformation, step by step. Experts from Inductive Automation, Cirrus Link Solutions, Sepasoft, Opto 22, and 4IR Solutions will explain how their respective software and hardware components fit together to create a seamless automation ecosystem within an Ignition Hub and Spoke Architecture.

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Topics: Webinars, groov EPIC, Ignition, Technology Partners

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