PLC programming
Allen-Bradley Micro800 with Connected Components Workbench
Program a Micro820 or Micro850 PLC in Connected Components Workbench, from wiring to timers, counters, analog and motion.
Allen-Bradley Micro800 with Connected Components Workbench is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation. It has 16 modules and takes about 20.3 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Beginner
- 20.3 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- Lab practice in your browser
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: PLC programmer, controls engineer, automation technician and commissioning engineer. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- Connected Components Workbench Standard (free) with the Micro800 Simulator. Hardware: none required. A Micro820 trainer makes wiring, analog and motion real.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Wire a Micro820 or Micro850 and connect to it from CCW
- Build ladder, function block and structured text projects with an HMI
- Use timers, counters and analog scaling
- Write your own function blocks and read an encoder
- Move MicroLogix programs to Micro800
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation.
Level: Beginner. Beginner. No PLC experience needed.
What you need
Software: Connected Components Workbench Standard (free) with the Micro800 Simulator.
Hardware: None required. A Micro820 trainer makes wiring, analog and motion real.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Practise in the 3D labOptional
Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
16 modules in order, at your own pace. 20.3 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1Micro800, CCW and the Simulator27m
- 2Wiring the Micro820 and Micro85041m
- 3Connecting, Uploading, Downloading, Firmware54m
- 4CCW Projects: LD, FBD, ST and an HMI43m
- 5Scan Cycle and Bit Instructions34m
- 6Latching, Set/Reset, Retentive Outputs, with lab practice: 1h 9m
- 7Timers, with lab practice: 57m
- 8Counters, with lab practice: 24m
Show the other 8 modules
- 9Analog, with lab practice: 48m
- 10UDFBs, UDFs and Documentation1h 2m
- 11High-Speed Counter and Encoders1h 12m
- 12Motion: PTO Stepper and Servo, with lab practice: 1h 41m
- 13Communications: Drives, Logix, Modbus TCP, Modules, with lab practice: 1h 15m
- 14Trends, PID, Data Logs, Protection, Faults, with lab practice: 37m
- 15Migration and Modernisation19m
- 16Final Assessment
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Show what to download (1 tool)
Required
- 01Free
Connected Components Workbench Standard Edition
Rockwell Automation
- Runs on
- Windows 10 or 11 Pro or Enterprise 64-bit, or Windows Server 2019/2022
- Account
- A free Rockwell Automation account (sign in to the Product Compatibility and Download Center)
The Standard Edition is free and needs no activation. It includes a demo version of the Micro800 Simulator; the full simulator comes with the paid Developer Edition.
Steps
- 1.Open the Connected Components Workbench page on the Product Compatibility and Download Center.
- 2.Click Available downloads next to the latest version (23.00.00 on 27 Sept 2026) and sign in.
- 3.Accept the licence agreement and download the installer.
- 4.Run the setup as administrator; it installs .NET Framework 4.8 if needed.
- 5.Start Connected Components Workbench, add a Micro800 controller and open the Micro800 Simulator to test your program.
- Rockwell lists 8 GB RAM and 20 GB free disk as the minimum.
- The installer does not work on the very first Windows 10 releases (1507 and 1511); update Windows first.
Official download pagecompatibility.rockwellautomation.comAlternatives
- FactoryTalk Design Workbench: Rockwell's newer free Micro800 design tool.
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Practise in the 3D lab
Build the same latching, timer and counter logic you write in CCW on working machines in the PLC lab, then pass each lab test.
- Motor start/stop with overloadPLC lab, about 45 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Motor start/stop with overload
- Forward/reverse conveyorPLC lab, about 60 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Forward/reverse conveyor
- Batch counter on a packing linePLC lab, about 45 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Batch counter on a packing line
- Commission the 4-20 mA level loopElectrical labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Commission the 4-20 mA level loop
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 16 hours
Four-compressor air house: Micro850 lead/lag/standby sequencer with hours-based rotation, from FDS to signed FAT
Design, program, test and document a Micro850 sequencer for four screw compressors that feed a textile mill's air-jet looms. You deliver your control philosophy, an I/O list, the CCW project, a FAT record and an operator note. It uses what modules 4 to 15 teach: variables, timers, counters, analog scaling, UDFBs, structured text, the clock, a PanelView 800 and plug-in and expansion modules.
- 7documents in the pack
- 10steps to follow
- Laboptional: in the 3D lab
- 6things to hand in
- 16 hof work, at your pace
- FDSFunctional Design Specification: Air House AH-1 Compressor Sequencer
- I/O listI/O List: Panel CP-401
- BOMBill of Materials: Panel CP-401 and Field Devices
- Tag listVariable List and Naming Convention: Micro850 CP-401
- Alarm listAlarm List: Air House AH-1
- FATFactory Acceptance Test Record: Panel CP-401
Do it in the lab: 5 steps.
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
PLC Programming
Eight short weeks of PLC ladder logic on free simulators: notes, diagrams, a few videos and auto-tested tasks. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
See the internshipPart of a learning path
Courses in a planned order, so each one builds on the last.
More free courses
Roles that use this skill
- PLC programmer
- Controls engineer
- Automation technician
- Commissioning engineer
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: Rockwell Automation, Tim Wilborne. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
Rockwell Automation · Tim Wilborne. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
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.
- Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
- The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
- Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
Is CCW free?
Yes. The Standard edition is a free download from Rockwell and needs no activation to program a Micro800; the Developer edition adds features such as UDFB debugging.
Do I need a Micro800?
No. The Micro800 Simulator runs the logic modules; wiring, analog, HSC and motion are best on a Micro820 trainer, which is inexpensive.
Micro800 versus MicroLogix?
MicroLogix is discontinued and file-based; Micro800 is its replacement with IEC languages and UDFBs. The migration module shows the converter.
Is the Allen-Bradley Micro800 course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get, and is it a Rockwell Automation qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a Rockwell Automation credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons in the Allen-Bradley Micro800 course?
The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
How long does the Allen-Bradley Micro800 course take?
Plan on about 20 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the sixteen modules at your own speed.
Do I have to use the lab?
No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.
Is the lab free?
Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.
What topics does the Allen-Bradley Micro800 course cover, module by module?
The Allen-Bradley Micro800 course has 16 modules. It opens with "Micro800, CCW and the Simulator", goes through "Wiring the Micro820 and Micro850", "Latching, Set/Reset, Retentive Outputs", "High-Speed Counter and Encoders" and "Migration and Modernisation" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the Allen-Bradley Micro800 course?
After the Allen-Bradley Micro800 course: Install CCW, activate it and run the Micro800 Simulator; Wire a Micro820/850, fix IP problems, upload, download and update firmware; Build the same logic in LD, FBD and ST with a PanelView 800 HMI. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.
What software and hardware do I need for the Allen-Bradley Micro800 course, and does it cost anything?
For the Allen-Bradley Micro800 course, software: Connected Components Workbench Standard (free) with the Micro800 Simulator. Hardware: none required. A Micro820 trainer makes wiring, analog and motion real. The course itself is free.
Is the Allen-Bradley Micro800 course suitable for me, and what level is it?
Allen-Bradley Micro800 is rated beginner. Beginner. No PLC experience needed. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation, and takes about 20.3 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the Allen-Bradley Micro800 course?
Skills from the Allen-Bradley Micro800 course (for example: install CCW, activate it and run the Micro800 Simulator) are used in roles such as PLC programmer, controls engineer, automation technician and commissioning engineer, and in automation engineer work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.
Start free today
Allen-Bradley Micro800 with Connected Components Workbench, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.