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Tips for real-time machine monitoring

Posted by Dan White on Aug 13, 2025 8:51:32 AM

New live demo provides a practical example of how to set up machine monitoring at your facility.

Whether you're trying to cut energy costs, avoid unplanned downtime, or just get eyes on what's actually happening on the plant floor, real-time machine monitoring gives you the information you need to act. 

If you're looking for a practical example of how to do it—using real equipment, standard protocols, and a system that's running 24/7—try out a new live demo that shows exactly how we’ve set up our own machine monitoring at Opto 22 headquarters in Temecula, California.

IgnitionOptoMachineMonDemo1

Live from Opto 22’s headquarters in Temecula, California, the demo shows:

  • Real-time power and energy consumption from our manufacturing facility
  • Live compressor and air dryer data—temperatures, dew point, amps, run status
  • Historical energy and air usage charts
  • A live camera feed from our utility room
  • MQTT Sparkplug B metrics—devices, nodes, throughput, latency
  • Full system diagnostics, tag structure, and health stats

IgnitionOptoMachineMonDemo2

IgnitionOptoMachineMonDemo3

Here’s how it works:

  • Physical I/O data is collected by Opto 22’s groov EPIC and groov RIO edge devices
  • groov’s onboard Data Service securely publishes MQTT Sparkplug B tag data to an MQTT broker, in this case Ignition’s MQTT Distributor Module hosted on Ignition Cloud Edition.
  • Data is visualized in Ignition Perspective, a web-based visualization module also hosted on Ignition Cloud Edition

LIVE DEMO

IgnitionOptoMachineMonDemo4

No simulation. This is our actual equipment. 

If you’re thinking about setting up something similar, this demo shows what’s possible with open protocols and flexible edge hardware. Give it a try!

LIVE DEMO

 

Talk to an Opto 22 engineer if you'd like some help building your own system. 

 

Topics: groov EPIC, Ignition, Ignition Cloud Edition

Written by Dan White

Dan has worked at Opto 22 for more than a decade. His Tufts Engineering background, MBA in International Business, and prior industrial controls experience give him a unique edge in automation. Dan enjoys staying active through biking, basketball, skiing – and keeping up with his three young kids!
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