OptoBlog

Node-RED Configuration Nodes and Project Management

Posted by Terry Orchard on Mar 1, 2023 9:45:00 AM

Learn best practices for managing Node-RED projects on groov devices.

It’s important to be able to manage Node-RED projects for recovery, version control, copying flows to other devices, and sharing code. There are several ways to do this, but what should you be aware of and what are the best practices for doing this on a groov device? 

Read More

Topics: Node-RED, MQTT, groov EPIC, groov RIO

Top 10 Videos of 2022

Posted by Janice Colmer on Jan 11, 2023 8:00:00 AM

See what people were watching in 2022 on the OptoVideo YouTube channel.

The start of a new year is a good time for reflecting on what worked well the previous year. So we took a look at our OptoVideo channel on YouTube to see what videos received the most views and proved to be the most popular in 2022.

Review the new Top 10 Videos of 2022 playlist to see what you might have missed, or re-watch some valuable content. Topics range from programming with Node-RED, to unlocking the power of the edge with Ignition, to using the new OPC UA server on groov RIO.

Read More

Topics: Videos, Node-RED, Ignition Edge, groov EPIC, YouTube

OptoForums - restructured and ready to help

Posted by Janice Colmer on Dec 12, 2022 8:00:00 AM

New categories and reorganization of topics are just some of the reasons to visit the OptoForums.

Whether you're new to using Opto 22 products or a long-time user, you can benefit from checking out the OptoForums. It's where engineering minds meet to post questions, answer fellow forum user questions, recommend solutions or even provide code samples—all related to Opto 22 hardware and software.

Moderated by Opto 22's Ben Orchard and Terry Orchard, the Forums are another great resource to keep bookmarked for troubleshooting or application advice.

And the Forums recently went through some reorganization, with more topics and categories added to help you find your answers more quickly and efficiently. Take a look at what's new.

Read More

Topics: Node-RED, MQTT, CODESYS, groov EPIC, Ignition, groov RIO, OPC UA, OptoForum

New CODESYS resources for developers

Posted by Janice Colmer on Nov 30, 2022 7:30:00 AM

A new section just added to the Opto 22 Developer site supports the latest 3.0.0 release of the Opto 22 CODESYS library package.

If you haven't visited developer.opto22.com in awhile, you'll want to spend some time reviewing our latest technical guides and resources. The site gets a lot of traffic from developers working with groov EPIC, SNAP PACs, Node-RED, and even industrial I/O for Raspberry Pi. 

Since all Opto 22 products are designed on open standards, you have a variety of ways to interact with them and integrate with other systems. The developer site helps you do that.

Now we've added a section dedicated to helping you program CODESYS on groov EPIC controllers.

Read More

Topics: Node-RED, CODESYS, groov EPIC, developer

Connecting PLCs to the Internet...securely

Posted by Janice Colmer on Nov 2, 2022 9:00:00 AM

Watch the recording of episode 8 of IntegrateLive! - as Opto 22 and Phoenix Contact connect their PLCs to web APIs to leverage data.

If you're not familiar with IntegrateLive! yet, we encourage you to check out this new online community. Jeff Knepper and Allen Ray created this platform to help all end users, manufacturers, and system integrators in the industrial automation space.

The importance of open source technologies working together is the foundation of IL and it celebrates "Co-op-etition"—which is what brought Opto 22 and Phoenix Contact together in this latest episode.

Read More

Topics: Node-RED, groov EPIC, webinar, system integration

Connecting PLCs to the Internet to Drive Sustainability

Posted by Janice Colmer on Oct 12, 2022 12:05:31 PM

Join us for another episode of an IntegrateLive! virtual workshop showcasing Linux-based PLCs.

Have you attended any virtual workshops hosted by the IntegrateLive! community? The IL platform started earlier this year as a collaboration that aligns integrators, vendors, and end users. Each episode brings together "changemakers in automation" who show how open source technologies work well together.

The result? An integrated solution ecosystem that you can use to solve everyday industrial problems.

Opto 22 is once again participating in this month's live demo to show the capabilities of edge controllers like groov EPIC. We'll be joined by Phoenix Contact in this 8th episode of IntegrateLive, happening October 26th at 8:00 am PDT (11:00 am EDT). Register to attend.

Read More

Topics: Node-RED, groov EPIC, edge computing, webinar, IntegrateLive!

Now Serving: PAC Control and Memory Mapped Data with OPC UA Server

Posted by Norma Rodriguez on Jul 6, 2022 7:30:00 AM

groov EPIC OPC UA Server makes it easy to access your data; lessons on OptoU show you how

Do you need access to your PAC Control strategy variables and I/O, or data from the memory map area on your groov EPIC? Do you want to connect to OPC UA client applications such as SCADA, MES, or enterprise software?

groov EPIC is now serving up this data securely and reliably with its built-in groov EPIC OPC UA Server. Publish the data where you need it.

In this post, we’ll go over exactly what data is accessible from the server, the basics of configuring the server, and some examples of how you can use it. And when you’re ready to work with the OPC UA server, you can find step-by-step instructions in the groov EPIC OPC UA courses on OptoU.

Read More

Topics: Training, Node-RED, Ignition Edge, groov View, OptoU, OPC UA

Node-RED Updates in groov EPIC 3.4

Posted by Terry Orchard on Jun 23, 2022 8:00:00 AM

See what's new in the latest version of Node-RED included in groov EPIC 3.4 firmware.

With every groov firmware update we also include updates to the software our devices run, whether that’s groov View, Ignition, or Node-RED. The recent groov EPIC 3.4.0 update is no different! In this post, I’ll briefly go over some of the biggest updates to Node-RED, which has been bumped to v2.2.2. If you want to know more about the 3.4.0 groov EPIC firmware, check out Ben’s forum post.

Read More

Topics: Updates, Node-RED, groov EPIC

Big release news: groov EPIC 3.4 firmware is here

Posted by Ben Orchard on Jun 22, 2022 8:15:46 AM

Major release adds embedded OPC UA server, expanded MQTT/Sparkplug options, SNMP, Scratch Pad data access, and more

Everyone here at Opto is very excited to announce that the latest EPIC firmware update is now live.

Just as you update the OS on your phone to get the latest improvements in security, stability and performance, the OS on your groov EPIC is no different. It is after all, a quad core Linux computer, so updates are very important for the exact same reasons: security, stability, and performance.

And often these updates come with some cool new features. With this release, you'll find several.

Read More

Topics: Updates, Firmware, Node-RED, MQTT, groov EPIC, OPC UA, Version 3.4 update

Important: Update to continue sending emails from Opto 22 products

Posted by Janice Colmer on May 18, 2022 7:00:00 AM

New technical note shows you how to update security settings for your email applications.

You can use many Opto 22 products to send email notifications to keep engineers and technicians aware of important conditions in your system. For example:

  • You can send email through a PAC Control strategy running on a groov EPIC or SNAP PAC controller.
  • Your groov View HMI can send event notifications via email.
  • Your Node-RED flow on groov RIO or groov EPIC can send email.

But you must make changes now to keep receiving emails!

Read More

Topics: PAC Control, Node-RED, groov View, groov EPIC, snap pac, groov RIO, email notifications

    Subscribe to Email Updates

    Recent Posts

    Posts by Topic

    see all