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.

Some developer tips for successfully moving your project from home to the plant floor.

We know a lot of developers love to tinker and prototype projects on Raspberry Pi hardware. I do the same at my house with over 12 Raspberry Pi computers doing different things. It's such an affordable and fun platform with a huge community behind it... what's not to love? The challenge comes when it’s time to move your project from the house/office to the factory floor.

Are you using G4 or SNAP digital I/O with your Raspberry Pi^®?

A lot of engineers are finding a Pi surprisingly useful in real industrial applications, as well as for prototyping and experimenting. Used with Opto 22's reliable industrial I/O, your Pi can safely switch 5-60 VDC, 120 VAC, and 240 VAC loads. 

Opto 22 will exhibit and present at ELC + OpenIoT Summit North America

About the Show

This month Opto 22 is exhibiting and presenting a technical workshop at the Open IoT Summit in Portland, Oregon.

It's a great opportunity to take a look at some of our new products and solutions that leverage open technology—like a REST API for an industrial controller and Node-RED running on our groov Box.

What technician, engineer, or maker doesn’t like tools? Having the right tools for the job is essential in getting things done.

Few things are more satisfying than applying just the right tool to a specific problem to easily rectify the situation. Having a shop outfitted with the right tools and a good place to work makes fixing things and resolving problems that much easier.

Celebrate the New Year with a blast!

And then keep on using your Raspberry Pi for industrial I/O prototyping and projects. All you need is your Pi and power supply, plus our Digital Industrial I/O Starter Kit for Raspberry Pi. Just $99 (shipping included in the U.S.A.)—a $215 value. 

Did you miss any of these technical tips?

Now's a good time to review some automation basics—and look ahead to new technologies in our field.

Accuracy and resolution. Specifications for both of these are included for our analog modules. What's the difference?

Sinking and sourcing. What do these terms mean when you're wiring digital DC outputs, and which is the better way to wire? Lots of questions and answers on this one.

It's true: you can use your Raspberry Pi to monitor and control real-world industrial devices.

Reliable Opto 22 G4 digital I/O and SNAP digital I/O now work with your Pi. 

One of the simplest ways to program your Pi may be Node-RED, designed by IBM Emerging Technologies.

UPDATE: This post has been updated to reflect changes in the most recent Raspbian Jessie Lite image (no longer includes Node-RED or node.js) and to use the new Digital I/O for Raspberry Pi Starter Kit for I/O hardware (new code, photos, and video).

The Raspberry Pi^® is an unquestionably powerful computer for just $35. And it really is just that: a computer. That means the Pi is capable of many tasks and perfect for many automation applications.

Couple the Pi to industrial, solid-state digital inputs and outputs, and you can build compelling and cost-effective solutions for commercial and industrial applications, too.

One of the easiest and fun ways to quickly build software applications is with Node-RED, the free, open-source software tool designed by IBM Emerging Technologies and used for wiring together hardware devices, APIs, and online services in new and interesting ways.

However, Node-RED is only included in the full PIXEL GUI version of the Raspbian Jessie Operating System, available from raspberrypi.org. Their latest 2017-07-05-raspbian-jessie-lite.img build for headless operation (no monitor, keyboard, or mouse required) is no longer bundled with either Node-RED or the required software tools node.js and npm.

The purpose of this post is to guide you through creating a headless Raspberry Pi computer with the latest versions of Node-RED, node.js, and npm, building a Node-RED application, and controlling and sensing GPIO connected to industrial digital I/O, quickly and simply. (For a sneak peek at the result of this build, see the video near the end of this post.)

Image: New Opto 22 Digital I/O for Raspberry Pi Starter Kit with Raspberry Pi 3 Computer