Temecula, CA — October 2005 — Opto 22, a developer and manufacturer of hardwareand software for industrial automation, remote monitoring, data acquisition, and machine-tomachine(M2M) applications, announced today the release of ioProject™ Basic and ioProjectProfessional, two automation software suites that include all the control programming,human-machine interface (HMI) development, and connectivity tools required to design, develop,and maintain sophisticated industrial control, monitoring, and data acquisition applications.Used with Opto 22’s line of Ethernet-based programmable automation controllers, including therecently introduced SNAP PACs, this completely integrated hardware and software combinationprovides unmatched power, simplicity, and reliability at the industry’s most competitive price,while delivering extraordinary automation equipment value to original equipment manufacturers(OEMs), system integrators, and end-users.The ioProject Basic software suite includes ioControl™ Basic, ioDisplay™ Basic, ioManager™, andvarious other tools and utilities. ioProject Professional includes the same components, but withadded features and functionality, plus OptoOPCServer™.ioProject Basic is included free with purchase of a SNAP PAC programmable automation controller.This software suite also supports all Opto 22 SNAP Ethernet-based I/O and Ethernet Optomuxindustrial control and input/output systems and components, including the recently introducedSNAP high-density digital, load cell, and other modules.
“By merging the SNAP PAC R-series programmable automation controller and the ioProject Basicsoftware into one, simple-to-use package, we are providing customers a superior ‘shoeboxPLC-class’ hardware controller and the complete set of software needed to develop controlprograms and user interfaces—all for under a thousand dollars,” says Benson Hougland, Opto 22Vice President.
“This is unprecedented in an industry where most other automation vendors chargemuch more for the software alone.”ioControl Basic, part of ioProject Basic, is a self-documenting, flowchart-based programming anddebugging tool that includes an extensive, plain-English command set, as well as a powerfulscripting language, each offering commands for analog and digital control, complex math,conditional branching, string handling, serial device control, subroutines, PID loop control, dataarrays, and other complex functions.
With over 15 years of field experience in proven applicationsall over the globe, ioControl is based upon the world’s most implemented flowchartingprogramming language in use today.ioControl Professional, part of ioProject Professional, adds support for the mistic™ I/O serialcommunications protocol and command set, allowing existing Opto 22 customers with legacy I/Osystems to migrate to the most recent software suite available while keeping their existing I/Ohardware intact. ioControl Professional also provides a means to import control strategiesdeveloped with Opto 22’s widely deployed OptoControl™, part of Opto 22’s FactoryFloor™ suiteof automation software, which was introduced in 1995.
Finally, ioControl Professional addsthe capability to configure the SNAP PAC’s dual Ethernet interfaces for segmentedcontroller/input-output networking or Ethernet link redundancy.ioDisplay Basic is a full-featured, human-machine interface (HMI) application used to design andrun operator interfaces on Microsoft® Windows®-based clients.
With ioDisplay Basic, users cancreate elaborate graphical user interfaces using original or included symbols, jpegs, and bitmaps.Support for alarm management, recipe handling, operator logging, real-time and historicaltrending, multimedia, and unlimited tags places ioDisplay Basic on the same footing as competitiveapplications costing thousands of dollars more.ioDisplay Professional, also part of ioProject Professional, adds the ability to import HMI projectsdeveloped with OptoDisplay™, again part of Opto 22’s FactoryFloor software, providing users witha clear migration path to newer human-machine interface systems.
Further, if users choose toretain their legacy hardware (like the popular SNAP-LCM4 controller), ioDisplay Professional canconnect to these existing controllers without any reprogramming.The ioProject Professional features of ioControl and ioDisplay offer existing users several benefits:the opportunity to utilize the newer and more powerful SNAP PAC-S and SNAP PAC-R Ethernetbasedcontrollers; the option of adding OptoTerminal™ touchscreens to their control systems;and the ability to use the latest releases of SNAP I/O™ modules—all without sacrificing existinginvestments in I/O, instrumentation, and field wiring.In addition to the ioControl and ioDisplay components, ioProject Professional also includesOptoOPCServer, a fast, efficient OLE for Process Control (OPC) 2.0-compliant server used toconsolidate and publish I/O point and SNAP PAC data to OPC-aware clients—including third-partyHMIs such as Wonderware’s InTouch®, Intellution’s iFix®, and Iconic’s Genesis®.ioProject Basic is free with purchase of any Opto 22 SNAP PAC R- or S-series controller.ioProject Basic can also be downloaded at no charge from Opto 22’s website.ioProject Professional is priced at US$999.
The individual ioProject Professional softwarecomponents, ioControl Professional, ioDisplay Professional, and OptoOPCServer, are also availableseparately and each is priced at US$399.
About Opto 22
Opto 22 develops and manufactures hardware and software products for applications in industrialautomation, remote monitoring, and data acquisition. Using standard, commercially availableInternet, networking, and computer technologies, Opto 22’s input/output and control systemsallow customers to monitor, control, and acquire data from all of the mechanical, electrical, andelectronic assets that are key to their business operations. Opto 22's products and services supportautomation end users, OEMs, and information technology and operations personnel.
Founded in1974 and with over 85 million Opto 22-connected devices deployed worldwide, the company hasan established reputation for innovation, quality, and reliability.Opto 22 products are sold through a worldwide network of distributors, partners, and systemintegrators. For more information, contact Opto 22 headquarters at 800-321-OPTO or visit thewebsite at www.opto22.com .
