In 1974, Robert Engman III stared down at 22 optically isolated, highly reliable, liquid epoxy-filled, solid state relays (SSRs) with no moving parts—quite an innovation back then—and he contemplated what to name the new company.

The result? "Opto" signifies optical isolation, and the "22" represents the original lineup of 22 relays. But this year, there’s another important number that we need to discuss—50!

Yes, Opto 22 is 50. Years. Young. 

This week, as we celebrate Opto’s Golden Anniversary of existence, I’d be remiss not to reflect on the legacy of a company I have loved being a part of for the last decade. And while my 11 years may seem like a long time, many of the folks I work with each day have tenures twice or thrice as long—they’ve been carrying the torch, maintaining the legacy that we are still building today.

The annual Ignition Community Conference is your opportunity to see how Ignition software can provide new, innovative solutions for your projects and industrial applications.

The exciting tradition continues as Inductive Automation recently announced the dates and theme of this year's Ignition Community Conference. We invite you to attend the 2024 Ignition Community Conference taking place September 17 - 19th in Folsom, California, and experience your own "A-ha!" moment. 

Meet industry thought leaders, see innovative Ignition use cases, and learn from Ignition experts. And of course, meet with Opto 22 engineers and see live demos of groov EPIC and groov RIO working together with Ignition.

This year's "Breakthrough" theme is focused on three categories designed to educate about Ignition software:

• Keynote speakers, exhibitor presentations, and table talks
• Product announcements revealing software version updates and exciting new features
• Discover Gallery with videos and project demonstrations of real-world Ignition application scenarios from a variety of industries, from all over the world

This event has sold out the last few years, so get your tickets now! Attend in person or with a livestream pass.

Learn how all the pieces of digital transformation come together to add another level of data connectivity and security to your projects.

Get Enterprise WiFi and several other updates in the latest free firmware download of groov RIO.

If you have been getting some friction from your IT department about connecting any of the groov RIO family to your corporate WiFi network, this firmware update is for you!

Just like the groov EPIC firmware update 3 weeks ago, we have added WPA-2 Enterprise WiFi connectivity to the groov RIO MM1, MM2 and EMU (Energy Monitoring Unit).

This enterprise WiFi configuration complements the existing LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) authentication options, which have been part of the RIO for a long time.

Join Opto 22 and several industry experts at the first annual OT SCADA CON event in Houston.

Dive into the world of operational technology and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems with industry experts and fellow enthusiasts. Opto 22 is a proud sponsor of a first-of-its-kind SCADA event taking place in Houston July 25–26, 2024: OT SCADA CON.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to expand your knowledge and grow your professional network. It promises to be the perfect chance to connect, learn, and network in person.

OT SCADA CON is for controls people, maintenance staff, technicians, and sales professionals to learn all about operational technology and the world of SCADA.

Two recent IntegrateLive! workshops on open source and interoperable manufacturing systems are now available to watch on demand.

With a promise to revolutionize your approach to information management, the IntegrateLive! team hosted a two-part webinar series focused on solving information management challenges in the manufacturing industry. 

The PI System, once popular in the industrial automation space, was acquired a few years ago by Aveva. Since this change, there's been a bit of turmoil in the market, causing former PI enthusiasts to look for other ways to acquire and manage their manufacturing data—without being locked in to a specific vendor.

This IL webinar offers new open source and cybersecure solutions...with a live build to show you how. They invited IL community members from Software Toolbox, Inc., Canary, Flow Software Inc., and even brought some groov hardware from Opto 22 to demonstrate.

Now you can watch both webinars here in the OptoBlog. 

Learn how to connect to equipment, log data, build models, process operational events, aggregate KPIs, and serve information to an entire enterprise while maintaining interoperability and fair licensing costs.

Are you ready to revolutionize your approach to information management?

The IntegrateLive! team is back for a dynamic two-part webinar series. They’ll construct a complete information management solution live! This workshop shows how you can achieve and exceed the functionality of a traditional PI Asset Framework solution (with the help of groov products), while ensuring interoperability—and slashing costs.

Were you in Chicago for Automate 2024? Dan White shares some highlights from last week's show.

As cities worldwide buzz back to life post-pandemic, trade shows are reclaiming their spotlight, and none more so than the recent Automate Show held in Chicago. With over 800 exhibitors showcasing the latest in automation and robotics tech, the McCormick Place was the place to be.

Another opportunity to see groov EPIC and groov RIO demos using Ignition software.

Have you ever attended the Automate show? Considered the leading industrial automation event in North America, this year's Automate event takes place at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, May 6 - 9, 2024.

Opto 22 technology partner, Inductive Automation, will be there located in booth 5020. That's where you'll find the Opto 22 team doing live action demos of groov EPIC and groov RIO.

A new case study explains how Paloma Irrigation and Drainage District bridged the gap between operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) for seamless data flow and efficient management.

The Paloma Irrigation and Drainage District (PIDD) has been operating for over 100 years in Gila Bend, Arizona. It provides essential irrigation and drainage services to 30,000 agriculturally diverse acres and nearly 100 homes. More than just irrigation, the PIDD safeguards the environment and upholds the community's water rights.

The PIDD faced several pressing challenges, including high maintenance costs, limited monitoring and control, and inefficient manual operations. These challenges led them to look at industrial internet of things (IIoT) possibilities, which highlighted the need for a more modern, cost-effective, and data-driven approach to water management.

In this case study, read how PIDD bridged the gap between their operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) for seamless data flow and efficient management, propelling them into their SCADA expansion.