A lot of you post questions and share your expertise in the OptoForum. It's a great place to get advice from other Opto product users, explore new ways to solve a control problem, or share your sample code.

Now we're updating the forum platform to make it easier to use. Sometime in the next couple of weeks you'll see a major change.

Topics: Insider, Updates, optonews, OptoNews 2016-08-03

Last OptoNews you heard about all the new features in PAC Project 9.5 and SNAP PAC firmware 9.5, both just released.

The most exciting new features are the HTTP/HTTPS server and RESTful API, giving you secure access to I/O point and variable data in your PAC controller. 

These developer- and IoT-ready features are free—all you need to do is update your firmware.

But updating PAC controller firmware on a running system can pose a problem.

Topics: Updates, Tips, optonews, PACs, PAC Project, Firmware, PAC Control, OptoTagPreserve, OptoNews 2016-08-03

I'm extremely excited about the new capabilities of the 9.5 firmware and, in particular, the new RESTful interface (REST API and HTTP/S server) for SNAP PAC controllers. I have several PACs throughout my home for various tasks like lighting, A/C, irrigation, energy management, monitoring, and surveillance. The new RESTful interface allows me to take my home automation system to completely new levels, including interacting with my other home automation/IoT products, like my Nest thermostats, smoke alarms, and NestCams; my Philips Hue lighting; my Wemo switches; and much more.

This post isn’t about home automation, however. It’s about getting the firmware upgrade done and configuring the HTTP/S RESTful server. And in doing so, it was important to me (and my application) that I preserved the persistent control system variables used in my control strategies. So...the following are the steps I took to upgrade my firmware while preserving important data and getting started with REST.

Topics: PACs, Firmware, PAC Control, API, REST API, RESTful server, PAC Manager, OptoTagPreserve, REST

Available now. Announcing the new PAC Project and firmware R9.5a releases. Included:

• Many new features you've asked for
• Support for two new I/O modules
• A brand-new HTTP/HTTPS server and REST API to make integration, data exchange, and Internet of Things (IoT) applications 

Topics: Internet of Things, Updates, IoT, optonews, PACs, New products, Integrators, PAC Project, OptoNews 2016-07-20

Actually you can buy this flexible analog input module right now. You'll just need a SNAP PAC brain or R-series controller with firmware R9.5a in order to use it—coming soon!

Designed for 3-wire RTD temperature inputs or high-resolution resistance measurement, the new SNAP-AIRTD-8U analog input module has, yes, 8 points, each individually software configurable.

Topics: Energy management, Process control, optonews, New products, I/O, OptoNews 2016-07-06

Getting Useful Data from Big Data

At the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), researchers analyze mountains of data from widely differing fields, including:

• Supersonic aircraft
• The human brain
• Distant stars

Topics: Energy management, Case studies, optonews, PACs, Integrators, Building management, Modbus, OptoNews 2016-07-06

Are you thinking about your Internet of Things (IoT) strategy? Join us next week in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the IoT Evolution Conference and Expo.

Topics: Internet of Things, Remote monitoring, IoT, optonews, Events & conferences, Integrators, OptoNews 2016-07-06

Move up to SNAP PAC—and keep racks and field wiring intact

Have you seen some of our newer high-density, high-speed, or multifunction I/O modules and wished you could use them in your legacy SNAP Ultimate or SNAP Ethernet I/O system? 

Have you wanted to build an easy-to-use groov mobile interface for your legacy system?

Topics: Updates, optonews, PACs, New products, Migration, Integrators, I/O, OptoNews 2016-07-06

Are you thinking about how you could use data from some of your SNAP PACs in databases, other applications, even the Internet of Things (IoT)?

If so, you'll be pretty excited about the upcoming release of SNAP PAC firmware, R9.5. 

Topics: Process control, Discrete control, Internet of Things, Updates, Remote monitoring, IoT, optonews, PACs, Firmware, Security, OptoNews 2016-06-22

Coming soon: PAC Project R9.5000, with many new features you've requested plus support for new I/O modules. Here's a sneak preview of what's inside.

Just a few of the highlights...

Topics: Updates, optonews, PACs, Migration, PAC Project, Optomux, OptoNews 2016-06-22