Announcing the release of PAC Project R9.6000, with new features, enhancements, and bug fixes—available now.
Here's good news for system integrators, OEMs, and others who build PAC Control strategies for users who don't have PAC Control on their systems. PAC Control now provides a command-line interface (CLI)
Topics: Updates, Machine builder, optonews, PACs, OEM, Integrators, PAC Project, PAC Control, OptoNews 2017-02-15
As the Internet of Things (IoT) gains momentum, this conference brings together system architects, firmware developers, software developers, and application developers.
Topics: Internet of Things, IoT, optonews, Events & conferences, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, OptoNews 2017-02-15
Our developer.opto22.com site gets a lot of traffic from developers working with SNAP PACs, groov, Node-RED, and industrial I/O for Raspberry Pi.
Since all Opto 22 products are designed on open standards, you have a variety of ways to interact with them and integrate with other systems. The developer site helps you do that.
Topics: groov, Internet of Things, IoT, Machine builder, optonews, PACs, OEM, Integrators, API, REST API, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, OptoNews 2017-02-15
As noted in Opto 22’s recent edge computing technology primer, one of the key problems currently facing the IIoT is Internet bandwidth limitations. We’re talking about connecting billions of sensors to networks that were never designed to handle that kind of traffic.
I can remember the painful days of dial up Internet connectivity when millions of people started connecting their PCs to the Internet through tiny little phone lines, watching file transfers drag on and on for hours.
Topics: Internet of Things, IoT, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things
Ethernet networks have taken over as the prominent bus architecture for industrial automation networks. And for good reason.
Ethernet simplifies and homogenizes connectivity between industrial devices. We don’t have to worry about male or female DB9 and DB25 serial connectors, no concern for DTE or DCE devices, and forget about straight-through vs. null-modem cables. In general, the world is a much happier place.
However, even with the added simplicity Ethernet offers, troubleshooting Ethernet networks can be a bit more involved than serial networks.
Let’s assume you’re trying to establish communication with an industrial Ethernet device that for whatever reason has dropped off the network. Here are a few tips I always use when starting to troubleshoot an industrial Ethernet network.
Topics: Networking, I/O
Process control systems are used in everything from advanced manufacturing to run-of-the-mill activities at home, like heating your house and brewing your beer. (You do brew your own beer, don't you?)
A control system that manufactures a product requires monitoring and control of many different process variables, while some at home require little more than a timer. For example, in manufacturing we may use flow meters to make sure fluids flow through pipes at a certain rate, or float meters to ensure ingredients fill a vat to a specified level.
When I brew beer at home, I may use a temperature sensor in my mash tun, wired to a controller that’s controlling my heating element to keep the mash tun at just the right temperature for optimum starch-to-sugar conversion. This is an example of a closed-loop control system.
(To see how small closed-loop control principles are scaled up to build industrial process control applications, check out the New Belgium Brewery case study and see how they use Opto 22 gear to brew their world-famous Fat Tire and other beers.)
Topics: Food & beverage, PLCs, Tips, PACs, Oil & gas
This month Opto 22 is exhibiting and presenting a technical workshop at the Open IoT Summit in Portland, Oregon.
It's a great opportunity to take a look at some of our new products and solutions that leverage open technology—like a REST API for an industrial controller and Node-RED running on our groov Box.
Topics: IoT, IIoT, Raspberry Pi, Digital I/O for Raspberry Pi
Although we may think of Middle Eastern countries as being oil-rich, that description doesn't always apply. The country of Jordan, for example, has typically imported 96% of its energy from neighboring countries.
But Jordan has plenty of sun, and the government is committed to investing heavily in renewable energy.
Topics: Energy management, Case studies, groov, Internet of Things, IoT, optonews, Integrators, mobile, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, OptoNews 2017-02-01
We're all hearing about drones these days, from hobby use to military use to delivering things you buy on Amazon. Getting a bird's eye view of the world has long been a human fantasy, and now it's a reality.
Topics: optonews, OptoNews 2017-02-01
Presented by ATX West and Design News in Anaheim, California, the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Summit is coming up next week, February 7-9, 2017.
The conference offers three days of Industrial IoT strategy, automation solutions, and smart technology training.
Topics: optonews, Events & conferences, OptoNews 2017-02-01