California-based industrial automation and IIoT manufacturer Opto 22 announces a new, elevated partnership status with Inductive Automation as a Solution Partner. One of the first hardware companies to embed Inductive Automation’s Ignition software in its industrial edge devices, Opto 22 had been a long-time member of the Ignition Onboard Program. With the sunsetting of the Onboard…
Opto 22’s groov RIO firmware version 3.5 adds realtime control to remote I/O
Opto 22 now offers the latest firmware version 3.5 for groov RIO edge I/O. This latest release includes the CODESYS runtime engine, allowing the groov RIO to now function as a realtime controller coupled with software-configurable I/O. The new firmware for groov RIO delivers a compact, configurable, and secure PLC for end-user or OEM engineers,…
Opto 22’s groov EPIC and groov RIO version 3.4 have more OPC UA server and MQTT options
Opto 22 announces the latest firmware version 3.4 for the groov EPIC edge programmable industrial controller from Opto 22, along with firmware version 3.4 for the groov RIO edge I/O module. Both are available as a free download for all existing groov EPIC and groov RIO users, adding even greater capabilities for sharing OT data with…
Opto 22 releases groov RIO EMU distributed energy monitoring unit
Opto 22 has expanded its groov RIO edge I/O series with a new energy monitoring unit (EMU) designed to help plant managers, machine operators, and financial analysts understand electrical costs and track changes in load that might give early warning of equipment faults. Using 0.333 V, 1 V, or 5 A current transformers (CTs), groov…
Ready to write a CODESYS project?
Use your PLC programming experience to program groov EPIC. Ready to write a control program for your groov EPIC, but not sure how to get started? With three options to write your control program–PAC Control, the easy-to-learn flowchart language, the Linux-based Secure Shell (SSH) to run your custom program, and CODESYS, an IEC-61131-3 compliant language–which do you choose? If you…
New REST API Node-RED Video
New video just added to the Node-RED developer playlist covers a simple API flow using daily weather data as an example. Node-RED is an extremely powerful tool that we’ve featured many times on this blog and our YouTube channel, and one very common use of Node-RED is to use application programming interfaces or “APIs” to move…
Measure live power and energy consumption
Take a closer look at the new EPIC I/O module (GRV-IVAPM-3) and get up to speed on how to install and configure it for your power monitoring applications. This module will allow you to measure live power and energy consumption of any three, twin or single phase load in Delta or Wye configuration up to…
Bridge your OPC UA systems to MQTT
Learn what’s possible with MQTT and how you can use it to unlock all the value your OPC systems offer. Why MQTT? By now, you’ve probably heard about MQTT. Since its creation in the late ’90s, it’s become the most popular protocol for IoT applications, repeatedly touted by organizations like the Eclipse Foundation, big players…
Opto 22 releases new groov EPIC I/O modules for large-scale power monitoring, signal integration
Opto 22 has announced two new I/O modules for its groov EPIC edge programmable industrial controller: GRV-IVAPM-3 for Category III three-phase AC power monitoring up to 600 VAC and GRV-MM1001-10 for universal I/O sensing and control. Cost-effective power monitoring and I/O signal integration are fundamental requirements for large-scale digital transformation. Opto 22’s new module options…
Modern Wastewater: Perceptive Controls
ICC 2021 Discover Gallery finalist, Perceptive Controls, talks about their continued success with the Waterford, MI Department of Public Works In February of this year, we looked at a pioneering MQTT Sparkplug project at the Department of Public Works in Waterford Township, Michigan. Thanks to the work of system integrator Perceptive Controls, Waterford’s project went on to…
Two new groov EPIC I/O modules for power monitoring and universal I/O
Learn about two new I/O modules just announced for the groov EPIC controller. Two highly anticipated groov EPIC modules are here: the 3-phase power monitoring module with 64 channels of data (!), and the highly flexible, software-configurable multifunction, multi-signal module. These new modules can take your system to another level of efficiency and another step closer to…
SNAP PAC to groov EPIC – is it time?
Opto 22’s updated technical note helps current SNAP PAC users decide if, when, and how to migrate to the newer groov EPIC system. Opto 22 customers have been relying on the SNAP PAC system for their controls and automation applications for almost 15 years. But now you keep hearing about the new technology of the groov EPIC…
Opto 22’s groov EPIC version 3.3 firmware boosts networking capabilities
The latest firmware for the groov EPIC edge programmable industrial controller from Opto 22, version 3.3.x, was announced today. This version, available as a free download for all existing customers, delivers much-requested enhancements to EPIC’s networking capabilities. In addition to processing and integrating OT data into backend applications, as before, EPIC can now act as…
Make the pitch for automation security with this updated tech note
Best practices for cybersecurity and more from the groov EPIC v3.2 update to help you get sign-off on critical security upgrades. Solarwinds, Oldsmar, Colonial, JBS—with all the cybersecurity news filling our inboxes, news feeds, and social channels, your customers may finally be ready to talk about a more rigorous security strategy. So we figured this was a…
Get hands-on experience with the groov RIO Learning Center
Learn more about edge I/O technology and the capabilities of the groov RIO module with the new learning center unit. If you’re up-to-date on your OptoBlog posts, you’ve heard about the revolutionary I/O that offers over 200,000 unique, software-configurable I/O combinations in a single, compact, PoE-powered industrial package called groov RIO. Ready to learn about and experiment with groov RIO? Now…
Getting the most out of groov View
New interactive demo illustrates many of the features and capabilities of the groov View HMI software. From pumps and processes to production data to the weather, your world is full of things you need to control, view, or monitor. With browser-based groov View, you can easily build a web-based, responsive operator interface to see and interact with exactly…
Get ready for groov RIO with Ignition 8
A new groov RIO module (MM2) has just been released that includes Ignition 8 software from Inductive Automation. As announced previously in the OptoBlog, Ignition 8 software is now part of the newest groov EPIC controller (GRV-EPIC-PR2). But, we didn’t stop there. The latest groov RIO MM2 model (GRV-R7-MM2001-10) also includes Ignition 8 and boasts increased memory and storage along with other important features.…
From Raspberry Pi to Factory Floor
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…
EPIC news: Ignition 8 plus more RAM, disk space
Announcing a second processor model for Opto 22’s groov EPIC system. We have a lot of exciting product news to share, and at the top of that list is the release of the GRV-EPIC-PR2. Yes, you now have two processor options when designing a groov EPIC system! Both GRV-EPIC-PR1 and GRV-EPIC-PR2 provide a powerful, open software and hardware ecosystem for…
Edge computing applications for equipment designers
Industrial edge devices begin to show their value Is there any truth to the hype around edge computing? As a reminder, that term refers to a distributed computing concept where data processing and connectivity are available at the local process level rather than squirreled away in the network core or in the cloud. For a…
Learn how to log I/O data to text file in Node-RED
New video released this week shows you how to turn groov RIO into a continuous datalogger Another week means another video to add to your collection of Node-RED tools and technical tips. Last week our developer video host, Terry Orchard, demonstrated how to create Node-RED flows that interact with groov EPIC’s embedded HMI server in “How to use the Node-RED…
Learn the power of SSH on groov EPIC
Terry Orchard is back in his studio to give you a video overview of the Secure Shell Access (SSH) feature on groov EPIC. Whether you’re already using Opto 22’s groov EPIC or have been researching its features, it’s important to note the extensive programming options it comes with. You can use the easy flow chart-based PAC Control, the familiar IEC…
How to use the Node-RED package for groov View
Follow this new video to create Node-RED flows that interact with groov EPIC’s embedded HMI server. Thanks to all your positive feedback, Terry Orchard is continuing with his video series for groov EPIC and RIO users in the developer community. Next up: How to use the Node-RED package for groov View. In this video, Terry demonstrates how to read and write different types of groov View gadgets…
Learning how to use groov EPIC
The groov EPIC edge programmable industrial controller can do so much—but where do you start? Do you want to learn about groov EPIC but aren’t sure where to start? Are you curious about how to securely share your sensor data with other applications, want to learn different ways to write a control program, read data from other PLCs, or…
[Case Study] Easy EaaS: Shumaker Industries/Martins Electrical Service
groov RIO enables affordable equipment-as-a-service designs that are easy to deploy [Case Study] Easy EaaS: Shumaker Industries/Martins Electrical Service groov RIO enables affordable equipment-as-a-service designs that are easy to deploy Equipment-as-a-service (EaaS) involves renting out or providing access to equipment and collecting payment periodically, rather than selling the equipment outright. This payment model enables end users…