The most popular discussions, topics, and tips of the year from the factory-supported OptoForums.

Is it just me, or are the years flying by faster than ever?

And as if time is not going by fast enough, I’d like to say how much I'm looking forward to writing this blog at this time next year. Why? Let's just say I can't wait to see what our customers put in the groov EPIC container over the coming year!!

But right now, let's recap the EPIC year of 2024 by looking back at the top 5 most discussed and searched topics in the OptoForums.

Check out the popular topics and most-watched videos of the year on OptoVideo—Opto 22's YouTube channel.

Do you find yourself on YouTube when looking for tips or advice on projects? Whether it be for personal hobbies or your job, chances are you've gone down a YouTube video rabbit hole—and gotten some great advice.

For the past several years, programmers, engineers, technicians, and other industrial automation professionals have gotten help from the video content created by Opto 22 developers and engineers. Are you one of the almost 30,000 OptoVideo subscribers? They, along with other YouTube users, have contributed to the over 3 million video views the Opto channel has received so far.

So what videos have proved to be most valuable this year? Let's take a look at Opto 22's Top 10 Videos of 2024.

See how Costa Farms optimized large-scale operations with live production data from groov RIO edge I/O.

Accelerated growth in any industry can result in gaps in production tracking as a business experiences growing pains. Is your machinery interacting with other systems to produce meaningful data? 

Costa Farms had to face this obstacle as it shifted its focus toward optimizing operational efficiency to keep up with large-scale production needs.

See how groov RIO edge I/O came to the rescue in this new case study.

Read about the features, enhancements, and various fixes you'll get in the groov EPIC 3.6 firmware release.

You'll see some really amazing updates this year. Meanwhile, while it's exciting to be working on new hardware and software, we also know that regular updates that address some "pebble in the shoe" discomfort are just as important. Our 3.6.0 firmware release adds a few new features and takes out a few pebbles for some nice quality-of-life improvements.

Let’s do a quick unpacking of this new EPIC firmware release.

Learn about some of the changes and benefits of Node-RED 3.1.7 included with the recent groov EPIC 3.6 firmware release.

Node-RED 3.1.7 has many useful new features and quality-of-life improvements—mainly to the editor itself. A great example is that the flow tabs at the top of the editor now indicate when they contain a change that has not been deployed. This simple addition clarifies what will be restarted when you choose among deploying modified nodes, modified flows, or a full deploy.

Let's talk about what other welcome additions you'll find in Node-RED in the latest 3.6 firmware release of groov EPIC.

New case study shows how you can save costs and gain control over your systems, even with no PLC experience.

Have you been faced with challenges like outdated equipment, manual operations, or the inability to manage data in your projects or applications? Or are you short on time to implement new technology that has a steep learning curve? Then you'll want to read the latest case study featuring Tucker Energy Services.

New case study shows how a new dosing and batching system saved labor costs and time.

Pinturas Tropical is a leading paint and coating producer operating in Santo Domingo, the capital city and main industrial hub of the Dominican Republic. They have been delivering durable paint products for over three decades. However, their existing PLC-controlled dosing and batching system required manual adjustments and led to waste in raw materials.

How Pinturas Tropical overcame these challenges is the subject of a new groov EPIC case study.  Read how and why they turned to renowned systems integrator and certified OptoPartner RMS Industrial Tech to revamp their batch control system through better visualization and record keeping.

For pilot projects, proofs of concept, and exploring, get the new groov EPIC LC2 with more features and capabilities than the original.

A complete package of fully functioning EPIC hardware and software, the groov EPIC Learning Center is designed as an integral part of our free OptoU Online Training at training.opto22.com.

And it's now available to order!

See what's included in the new GRV-EPIC-LC2, and be ready to take on your industrial automation and IIoT applications.

Did you watch all of the 10 most popular videos on the Opto 22 YouTube channel in 2023?

If you're one of the over 27,000 subscribers who follow the OptoVideo channel on YouTube, you have first access to all the new video content we produce. Whether it's a new Node-RED developer video, product overview, or a technical how-to workshop, you get it all.

So what topics proved most useful (and popular) with our viewers last year? Let's review Opto 22's Top 10 Videos of 2023.

Learn and experiment with your own updated groov EPIC Learning Center 2

The new groov EPIC Learning Center 2 is in production now—and it includes even more features and capabilities than the original! See what's included in the new GRV-EPIC-LC2, and be ready to take on your industrial automation and IIoT applications.

A complete package of fully functioning EPIC hardware and software, the groov EPIC Learning Center is designed as an integral part of our free OptoU Online Training at training.opto22.com.

So what's new this time around?