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Learning path · Aimed at a PLC programmer using IEC 61131 languages

IEC 61131 and software PLCs

For learners who want one set of languages that works across many PLC brands, including PC-based control.

You start with the first course. The next one is added when you are halfway through the one you are on.

See the courses in order
3 courses · 48 modules · 37h 20m of video · free, no card

What you can do at the end

Finish the path and you can do this

  • Write ladder logic and structured text to the IEC 61131 standard.
  • Program PC-based control in TwinCAT.
  • Use Automation Builder for ABB AC500 projects.

A path teaches skills. It does not promise a job, an interview or a salary.

Why these courses together

Each course builds on the last

  • 1CODESYS first: it is the common base that hundreds of brands build on.
  • 2TwinCAT then shows the same languages on a PC-based controller.
  • 3Automation Builder closes the path with a CODESYS-based brand you can meet in industry.

A planned order also saves the time you would spend choosing what to learn next, and you finish with one story to tell: what you learnt, in order.

The roadmap

3 courses, in this order

  1. Step 1: CODESYS and IEC 61131-3 Programming

    Adds: The vendor-neutral PLC platform: ladder, function blocks, structured text, CFC and SFC, with Factory I/O projects and a visualization at the end.

    • Beginner
    • 19 modules
    • 12h 17m of video

  2. Step 2: Beckhoff TwinCAT 3 PLC Programming

    Adds: PC-based control with TwinCAT 3 and EtherCAT: installation, tasks, structured text, function blocks and interfaces, I/O, libraries, version control, ADS, test-driven development, visualization and real machine applications.

    • Intermediate
    • 19 modules
    • 22h 37m of video

  3. Step 3: ABB AC500 PLC with Automation Builder

    Adds: The AC500 family and Automation Builder (CODESYS-based): first project, ladder, latching, interlocks, timers, counters, retentive data, PROFIBUS and PROFINET, visualization, CP600 HMI and platform features.

    • Beginner
    • 10 modules
    • 2h 26m of video

3

courses

48

modules

37h 20m

of video in total

Example: at 5 hours a week, the video alone takes about 8 weeks. Practice tasks and the finals come on top, and you set the pace.

Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

See the 3D lab

What you get

What joining gives you

  • Every course is free, with lifetime access and no card.
  • Video lessons by credited independent creators, with our written notes and worked examples.
  • A practice task per module, and one final assessment per course.
  • Ask-an-engineer support.
  • Optional verifiable certificate for each course you pass, US$23.99 for a beginner course. There is no single certificate for the whole path.
  • One course at a time: you start with the first, and the next is added when you are halfway through it.
  • Each course keeps its own progress. You can open any course on its own at any time.

Put it into practice

Then try it in an internship

An engineer in a hard hat checking neat, labelled wiring on I/O racks inside an open control cabinet.

PLC Programming Internship

Eight short weeks of PLC ladder logic on free simulators: notes, diagrams, a few videos and auto-tested tasks.

The PLC internship uses CODESYS, so it follows on directly from the first course in this path.

The Free internship is 4 weeks with a free certificate. It is training, not employment, and the Engineer-verified internship is optional.

See the PLC Programming internship

Questions

Questions about this path

Is the IEC 61131 and software PLCs free?

Yes. Every course in the path is free in full: lessons, notes, practice tasks and the final assessment. The only paid item is the optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion for each course.

What happens when I join the path?

You are enrolled on the first course straight away. The next course is added to your account when you are about halfway through the one you are on, so you never face a pile of unstarted courses. Each course keeps its own progress, notes and final.

In what order should I take the courses?

In the order listed: each course is placed after the ones it builds on. Every course also stands alone, so you can open any of them from the list.

Do I get one certificate for the whole path?

No. Certificates are per course, issued when you pass that course's final assessment, and you only buy one if you want it. Finishing every course gives you one optional, verifiable certificate for each.

How long will it take?

The video alone is about 37h 20m. Notes, practice tasks and the finals take extra time, and you go at your own pace.

Do I have to do the internship?

No. It is a separate, optional step. The PLC Programming Internship is training, not employment: the Free internship is 4 weeks with a free certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship is optional.

Ready to start IEC 61131 and software PLCs?

You start with the first course. The next one is added when you are halfway through the one you are on.

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