ATEX is the name commonly given to the two European Directives for controlling explosive atmospheres in workplaces.

Several Opto 22 products are now approved for both standards and offer you options for applications in potentially explosive areas.

Topics: Process control, Food & beverage, Discrete control, Machine builder, optonews, PACs, OEM, Integrators, I/O, Oil & gas, OptoNews 2016-06-08

Here's your invitation to a comprehensive automation conference you won't want to miss, May 24-25 in Chicago, Illinois: The Automation Conference.

Topics: Process control, Discrete control, Internet of Things, IoT, optonews, Events & conferences, Security, OptoNews 2016-05-11

Confused about sinking and sourcing when using digital I/O in DC circuits? 

Judging by the response to our past blog posts on this issue, many people are. So we've pulled together a lot of practical information and put it into a short new technical note.

Topics: Discrete control, Tips, optonews, I/O, OptoNews 2016-05-11

What do you get with the free PAC Project Basic automation software suite? 

PAC Project Basic offers flowchart-based control programming plus HMI development and runtime. It's suited for industrial automation, remote monitoring, and data acquisition applications in any field.

Topics: Process control, Discrete control, Remote monitoring, Machine builder, optonews, PACs, PAC Project, OptoNews 2016-03-02

If you use high-density 32-point SNAP digital I/O modules, you'll be interested in our latest breakout board: the SNAP-UDC-HDB.

The small footprint of this new board makes it ideal for use in cramped areas. Just 3.32 x 3.95 x 2.27 inches high (8.43 x 10.03 x 5.77 cm), the SNAP-UDC-UDB fits in tight places but still gives you room to wire all 32 points to field devices.

Topics: Discrete control, Machine builder, optonews, New products, Integrators, I/O, OptoNews 2016-01-20

How do you sense or switch loads up to 3 amps with each of the 32 points on a SNAP high-density digital (HDD) I/O module?

Here's how: the new SNAP-UDC-HDB-G4 breakout board.

Topics: Discrete control, optonews, New products, I/O, OptoNews 2016-01-06

We've talked recently about digital and analog totalizing: getting total running values for on-time, flow, power production, and so on. 

The next step is using those totals in your PAC Control strategy—and in your groov mobile operator interface—to get the information you need.

Topics: Process control, Discrete control, Tips, optonews, PACs, PAC Project, OptoNews 2016-01-06

The new SNAP-OMR6T-C mechanical power relay output module offers four points to switch loads up to 6 amps at 250 VAC or 30 VDC.

AND it includes integrated transient suppression, while maintaining minimal leakage current. 

Topics: Discrete control, optonews, New products, I/O, OptoNews 2015-11-18

If you've used Opto 22 products for a long time, you may very well have some colorful G4 digital I/O modules in a panel somewhere. They were probably installed back in the 1990s.

Still reliably monitoring sensors and activating outputs, these G4s are likely the workhorses of your automation system. Why would you ever want to replace them?

Topics: Discrete control, optonews, Migration, I/O, PAC Project, Optomux, OptoNews 2015-11-04

We talked about sinking and sourcing in a previous OptoNews tech tip.

But it's a subject that causes a lot of confusion, so it's worth revisiting.

Sinking and sourcing basically refer to the two methods of wiring a digital DC circuit.

Topics: Discrete control, Tips, optonews, I/O, OptoNews 2015-11-04