Gone are the days when the control system engineer—"you know, the instrumentation guy, the DCS guy, the PLC and HMI guy"—can handle what needs to be done in automation, says Steve Malyszko, P.E. 

Malyszko's recent article in Automation World says the old skills just won't be enough anymore.

Topics: Process control, Discrete control, Internet of Things, IoT, optonews, Integrators, Careers, IIoT, Industrial Internet of Things, OptoNews 2016-11-09

If you're into technology, you may already have a smart thermostat or refrigerator or lights in your home. That's fun and sometimes even useful.

But what's the real value of the Internet of Things?

Topics: Energy management, Internet of Things, Remote monitoring, IoT, optonews, Events & conferences, Integrators, OptoNews 2016-10-12, IIoT

Vista Irrigation District, near San Diego in Southern California, is no stranger to change. 

For nearly 100 years the district has provided reliable water to farm and residential customers—through population growth, drought years, and changes in land use.

Topics: Case studies, Videos, Water & wastewater, optonews, Integrators, OptoNews 2016-09-28

Do you use Opto iPAC or Opto aPAC on your phone or tablet to commission and troubleshoot Opto 22 systems? With these mobile apps, you can:

• Automatically discover Opto 22 systems on your network
• Change point status or variable values from your phone, wirelessly
• Create watch lists to monitor

Topics: Updates, Machine builder, optonews, PACs, OEM, Integrators, I/O, mobile, OptoNews 2016-09-28

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

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

How do you control coatings on a device the width of a human hair?

In today's world, ultra-tiny micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) provide key capabilities in phones, cars, drones, and medical sensors, just to name a few places.

Topics: Case studies, Process control, Electronics, Machine builder, optonews, PACs, OEM, Integrators, OptoNews 2016-06-22

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