A recent webinar hosted by the Eclipse Foundation highlights the power of MQTT with Sparkplug in industrial automation applications.

As a member of the Eclipse Foundation's Sparkplug Working Group, Opto 22 was invited to participate in a webinar with fellow group members to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Sparkplug protocol.

Sparkplug is ready to transform the automation industry by making MQTT infrastructure interoperable, out of the box. Watch and learn from case study examples how this technology can make digital transformation a reality.

Watch the "CODESYS in the field" presentation from the Fall 2021 CODESYS Tech Talk.

In case you missed the Fall CODESYS Tech Talk virtual event, we have an important session to share with you. As an experienced Opto 22 user and engineer, Jared Bates from Rust Automation & Controls joined us to present a current water/wastewater application that uses the CODESYS runtime engine on groov EPIC.

Security certificates are critical tools for designing cybersecure automation systems, and they're easier to set up on your groov devices than you might think.

Have you ever seen a warning message from your browser telling you a connection is untrusted and asking if you want to proceed anyway? If you're connecting to groov Manage, then the connection this message refers to is actually your groov EPIC or RIO!

But what if I told you that in a few simple steps you can prove to browsers and other connected systems that network communications to your groov devices are secure, encrypted, and protecting your automation assets?

Watch and learn what it means to have a secure industrial controls system.

Industrial automation has long been known to carry cybersecurity vulnerabilities at the levels of both technology and practice. Legacy PLCs weren’t designed for connections to untrusted LANs or the internet, and the old password-on-a-sticky-note security policy just doesn’t cut it anymore. So, what's the solution?

ICC 2021 Discover Gallery finalist, Perceptive Controls, talks about their continued success with the Waterford, MI Department of Public Works

In February of this year, we looked at a pioneering MQTT Sparkplug project at the Department of Public Works in Waterford Township, Michigan. Thanks to the work of system integrator Perceptive Controls, Waterford’s project went on to become a finalist in the 2021 Ignition Community Conference Discover Gallery and was showcased in the latest Sparkplug Working Group virtual meetup. Recently, I followed up with Kevin Finkler, software engineer at Perceptive, to talk about using MQTT in the real world.

Opto 22's YouTube channel is growing with more videos and subscribers.

What started several years ago as a platform to host a few Opto 22 product videos has now reached a new milestone. The Opto 22 YouTube channel recently reached 2 million views and is closing in on 20,000 subscribers.

Whether you're new to the industrial automation industry, or are looking for specific developer tips on using MQTT or Node-RED, the OptoVideo channel is your one stop for all things automation and digital transformation. 

The upcoming 5-day virtual event is your chance to learn, engage and discuss CODESYS tech innovations and engineering in real-time.

CODESYS is a free, platform-independent IEC 61131-3 programming tool for industrial automation systems. And if you use groov EPIC controllers, you already know EPIC supports CODESYS as a control programming option and runtime engine. CODESYS GmbH is one of Opto 22's valued Technology Partners, and we are once again participating in their semi-annual user conference.

The recording of Opto 22's live product demo from the 2021 Ignition Community Conference is now available.

Were you able to attend Inductive Automation's annual Ignition Community Conference (ICC) last week? This two-day virtual event featured developer panel discussions, case studies of real-world Ignition projects, the annual build-a-thon, as well as several exhibitor demo sessions. 

Opto 22's presentation demonstrated the power of Ignition on our groov EPIC and RIO platforms, and the recorded webinar is now available for on-demand viewing.

Updated technical note includes tips and design advice for ensuring optimal performance on all devices using PAC Project software.

If you've been keeping up with your OptoBlog posts, you saw last week's news about an available update for the PAC Project Software Suite, version 10.4. If you haven't already, make sure you download it to take advantage of the new features, enhancements, and important fixes included in this update.

But now we have more good news! Whether you're a new user or very experienced with PAC Project and PAC Control programming, you'll want to spend some time reviewing our latest updated tech note: Optimizing PAC Project System Performance (form 1776).

Sharpen your drawing tools. It's time to go to work.

Visualization for industrial automation is bigger than it’s ever been, and it’s not just about control anymore. As it becomes increasingly important to turn data into information efficiently and ubiquitously, visualization platforms deal with more data types, presentation formats, and a broader range of users and use cases. As always, Opto 22 gives you many tools so you can choose what fits your project best. Let’s take a look at some of those options.