Crossbow

The NX-EIC and NX-ECC couplers provide this power across the bus, it wires into the coupler itself.  The NX102 and NX1P2 do not, so a power supply module would be required.

Haven't seen the groups feature yet... been more on robotics the last few months...

What does this have to do with the website?  

The encoder cable I think uses a standard FireWire type plug.  I bet you can find panel mount version of any of the connectors using those manufacturer part numbers.

Omron does sell the connectors so you can make a custom cable.  Part numbers are in the catalog, I821, page 106. 1S_series_I821-E1_7_3.pdf

For PLC 1, look in the View menu for Variable Manager.  It can show you all variables with usage data. It can show global variables or the local variable lists from any program. For PLC 2, I agree completely, but have you considered structures as a way to group variables?  

It isn't hard to do some basic automation like you are talking about, I bet you could handle it.  But the big gotcha is in the machine safety.   You need to make automated equipment as safe as possible and document all of the steps you took and potential issues you addressed.  The process for Risk Assessment is detailed in ISO12100.  In the end though, it is up to the end user who installs the equipment in their plant to verify it is completely safe in the US.  You need to design a safe product, but the person who buys it needs to verify it is safe after installation.  In Europe, the machine builder carries more of the responsibility for the safety of the machine after installation. 

Not that I am aware of.  GX Works2 or GX Works3?  A bit more detail may help others try to answer you.

Kanji is Japanese text.  It has nothing to do with the OS. What's happening is the number of characters in their language requires 2 bytes to create a single character.  English only uses 1 byte per character, so the software installed on an English OS cannot interpret the dual byte characters.  So the 'weird language' you are seeing is the 2 byte characters being interpreted as two single byte characters that make no sense. You will need to open it on an OS which supports dual byte, such as Chinese or Japanese.

Local variables or global?  I would think local variables would zero out if they are not flagged for retain, but I have not yet looked at this.

OPC UA is not database access, it's a method to get the data.  It's commonly used for data collection by a PC application.  Not directly into a database. The NJ501-1320 would have SQL functions and can directly attach to a database.

Now with Class 3, there are two methods to open a connection.  Your device may not support one of them.  CIPOpen uses what's called "Large Forward Open", if your device does not support Large Forward Open method, you can use the CIPOpenWithDataSize function block which can be used to perform normal "Forward Open".  

CX-Supervisor is just one of many SCADA software options.  There are others that can also communicate with that CPU, such as Indusoft.

CIPOpen, close read write uses EtherNet/IP Class 3 communication, which requires a connection be established first. UCMM is UnConnected Message manager, a different EtherNet/IP protocol that does not require a connection (as the name implies). They are both defined in the EtherNet/IP specifications.  Some devices only work one way or the other.

I've noticed if I log in from a different machine (like my tablet or second computer), the first one is logged out.  Some times I read the forums on my tablet, and the next time I get on in my laptop (same browser, Firefox) it's logged out.