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Learning path · Aimed at a Rockwell (Allen-Bradley) PLC engineer

Rockwell engineer path

For learners who expect to meet Allen-Bradley controllers, old and new, in a plant or a service role.

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
5 courses · 80 modules · 48h 15m of video · free, no card

What you can do at the end

Finish the path and you can do this

  • Write ladder logic in RSLogix 500 for MicroLogix and SLC controllers.
  • Program CompactLogix and ControlLogix in Studio 5000, and small machines in CCW on the Micro800.
  • Build a basic operator screen in FactoryTalk.

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

  • 1RSLogix 500 first: its plain address-based style is the easiest way to learn Rockwell ladder logic.
  • 2Studio 5000 follows with tag-based programming, which is how current Rockwell systems work.
  • 3Micro800 and the HMI courses come last, so the screens you draw talk to logic you understand.

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

5 courses, in this order

  1. Step 1: Allen-Bradley RSLogix 500 and MicroLogix

    Adds: The MicroLogix and SLC 500 on real hardware: file-based addressing, every instruction group, analog scaling, faults and forces, in RSLogix 500.

    • Beginner
    • 19 modules
    • 8h 56m of video

  2. Step 2: Allen-Bradley Studio 5000

    Adds: CompactLogix and ControlLogix from the wiring up: tags, instructions, timers, data, drives, messaging and Modbus, in Rockwell's Studio 5000.

    • Beginner
    • 16 modules
    • 7h 35m of video

  3. Step 3: Allen-Bradley Micro800 with Connected Components Workbench

    Adds: The Micro820/850 from wiring to motion: CCW, the simulator, bit logic, timers, counters, analog, UDFBs, high-speed counters, PTO motion, PowerFlex and Logix messaging, Modbus TCP, PID, and migration from MicroLogix.

    • Beginner
    • 16 modules
    • 12h 42m of video

  4. Step 4: FactoryTalk Optix HMI and Edge

    Adds: Rockwell's new HMI platform from the first screen to the edge: Optix Studio, communication, containers and responsive design, object-oriented graphics, aliases and UDTs, faceplates and libraries, alarms, datalogger, recipes, reports, users and languages, Micro800, Modbus, Siemens and REST drivers, MQTT and OPC UA, sizing and View SE integration.

    • Beginner
    • 13 modules
    • 9h 40m of video

  5. Step 5: HMI Design and Programming: Siemens WinCC and FactoryTalk View ME

    Adds: What an HMI is and how to design one well, then two mainstream tools end to end: Siemens WinCC in TIA Portal and Rockwell FactoryTalk View Machine Edition on PanelView Plus, with WinCC flexible for the legacy base.

    • Beginner
    • 16 modules
    • 9h 21m of video

5

courses

80

modules

48h 15m

of video in total

Example: at 5 hours a week, the video alone takes about 10 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 free simulators (CODESYS, OpenPLC) rather than this vendor's software, so you practise the same ladder-logic ideas on a different tool.

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 Rockwell engineer path 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 48h 15m. 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 Rockwell engineer path?

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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