Free Allen-Bradley Software for Learning: CCW, Micro Starter Lite and Emulate

The free Allen-Bradley PLC software you can rely on today is Connected Components Workbench (CCW) Standard Edition. It programs Micro800 controllers and includes a demo version of the Micro800 Simulator. RSLinx Classic Lite, for communications, is catalogued as free. RSLogix Micro Starter Lite and RSLogix Emulate 500 are still listed in Rockwell's download centre, but check their terms first.

Checked 26 September 2026 on Rockwell Automation's own pages. Where a Rockwell page needed a login, we say so rather than guess.

The short answer, controller by controller

Rockwell's software is split by controller family, so the useful question is not "which software is free?" but "which controller am I learning?".

For a learner in the US or Canada with no hardware, the Micro800 with CCW is the only Allen-Bradley route that is both clearly free and comes with a simulator. The rest of this guide explains each tool and where it fits.

Connected Components Workbench: Standard and Developer

Rockwell describes CCW Standard Edition as a common, easy-to-use configuration and programming tool for its Micro Control System, and lists it as a free download from the Product Compatibility and Download Center (PCDC). It works with the Micro800 controllers (Micro820, Micro850 and Micro870), PanelView 800 terminals, PowerFlex drives and Kinetix 5100 drives.

The Developer Edition is an annual subscription. Rockwell says it adds the full Micro800 Simulator, Archive Manager and extended Micro800 programming features. You do not need it to learn.

Two details make CCW a good first choice:

• It programs in ladder diagram, function block diagram and structured text, so you can learn the same start/stop in all three.
• Rockwell says CCW lets you enter and modify ladder rungs using workflows similar to RSLogix 500 and Studio 5000 Logix Designer. The habits you build transfer to the larger software later.

The Micro800 Simulator

CCW Standard includes a demo version of the Micro800 Simulator. Rockwell's own tutorial page describes it as a basic simulator environment for developing code without hardware. You download your program to the simulated controller, put it in run mode and change values while you watch the rungs.

Rockwell keeps the full version for the Developer Edition. For the exercises in a beginner course (contacts, coils, latching, timers, counters and simple analog scaling), start with the demo and only look further if you hit a wall.

RSLogix 500, Micro Starter Lite and Emulate 500

This is where searches for "rslogix 500 free" get confusing, and where we were most careful.

• RSLogix Micro Starter Lite is the entry edition of RSLogix for the MicroLogix 1000 and MicroLogix 1100. Rockwell's download centre lists it, and Rockwell has a knowledgebase article titled "MicroLogix 1100: Software support and RSLogix Micro Starter Lite availability". That article needs a Rockwell login to read, so we could not confirm its current terms on an open Rockwell page. Sign in and read it before you plan a course around it.
• RSLogix Emulate 500 is listed in the PCDC (versions 6.00.00 and 5.00.08) as supporting the SLC 500 and MicroLogix families. The listing does not state a price or licence terms.
• RSLinx Classic Lite is the communications driver you need to go online to a real controller. Rockwell's release notes catalogue it as "RSLinx Classic Lite (free)".

Many third-party pages promise "RSLogix 500 free download". Ignore them and go to Rockwell's PCDC: repackaged installers are a security risk on a laptop you will one day plug into a plant network.

If your plant still runs MicroLogix or SLC 500 controllers, the file-based addressing (I, O, B3, N7, T4, C5) is worth learning even if you only read programs. Our RSLogix 500 and MicroLogix course covers it from the first rung.

Three ways Rockwell names data

Moving between Rockwell's tools is mostly about how each one names data, so it helps to know the three styles before you start:

In RSLogix 500, a timer is a slot in the T4 file and its done bit is T4:0/DN. In CCW and Studio 5000, you give the timer a name and use that. The logic is the same; the bookkeeping is different. Learners who start on CCW usually find Studio 5000's tags natural, and then need a few hours with RSLogix 500's files when they meet an older machine.

What to practise in the Micro800 Simulator

Our Micro800 with CCW course follows the order that works best on the simulator:

• Scan cycle and bit instructions. Direct and reverse contacts and coils, and why the order of rungs matters.
• Latching. Seal-in circuits, set and reset coils, retentive outputs and what happens at power-up.
• Timers and counters. On-delay, off-delay and pulse timers, up and down counters, and resetting them.
• Analog. Scaling raw values to engineering units, which the simulator lets you test by typing values.
• User-defined function blocks. Wrapping a motor start/stop once and reusing it, the habit that transfers to Studio 5000's Add-On Instructions.

The later modules on wiring, high-speed counters, motion and drives are easier with hardware, but you can still read the programs and follow the logic on the simulator.

Studio 5000 is a separate step

CompactLogix and ControlLogix are programmed in Studio 5000 Logix Designer, which is not part of the free set above. That does not stop you learning it. Our Studio 5000 course shows in its first module where to find Rockwell's trial. Because CCW already taught you ladder in Rockwell's style, the new ideas are tags, tasks and routines, not the logic itself.

A learning order that works

This order keeps you on free software for as long as possible. It also puts the most transferable skills first: seal-in circuits, timers and counters behave the same way in every Rockwell tool, even where the instruction names differ.

A few practical tips for the first week:

1. Install CCW Standard from the PCDC, not from a mirror site.
2. Create a project with a Micro850 and connect it to the simulator before you write any logic. Getting that working is half the battle.
3. Write one rung, run it and toggle the input. Then add a seal-in. Then add a timer. Small steps make faults easy to find.
4. Save a copy of each working program. You will reuse them.

When you meet real hardware

The simulator covers the logic; a real Micro800 adds connection and wiring. When you get your hands on one, three things trip up most beginners, and our course has a module on each:

• Connecting. A Micro820 or Micro850 connects to CCW over Ethernet or serial. A controller that has never been given an address may come up on a 169.254.x.x address, so your laptop needs to be on the same range before CCW can find it.
• Downloading safely. Check the IP settings in your project before you download. Downloading a project with the wrong Ethernet settings is a common way to lose the connection you just made.
• Firmware. The controller's firmware must suit the CCW version and project. CCW can update it, but read the prompts before you accept.

None of this needs to be learned before the logic. Learn the logic on the simulator, and treat hardware as the second stage.

Where the free Rockwell route stops

Being honest about limits helps you plan. The free route gives you the Micro800 in simulation, plus the tools to read MicroLogix programs. It does not give you Studio 5000, FactoryTalk View SE or the full Micro800 Simulator. For most beginners that is enough to learn the logic properly. When you want hardware, a regional classroom course or an employer's trainer is the next step.

Learn Allen-Bradley free with EDWartens

The Allen-Bradley courses are free in full: video lessons by independent YouTube creators (credited on every course page), written notes with worked examples, a practice task per module and one final assessment of 15 questions with a 60% pass mark. Start with Micro800 with CCW, then follow the Rockwell engineer path.

The only paid item is an optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion after you pass. For a beginner course it costs from US$2.99, and checkout shows your price. Anyone can check it at edwartens.com/verification. It is not a Rockwell Automation certification, and it is not accredited or a university qualification.

Take the free course

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