Drives
Allen-Bradley PowerFlex Drives
Set up and wire Allen-Bradley PowerFlex drives, then link them to a Logix PLC over EtherNet/IP, using the free CCW software.
Allen-Bradley PowerFlex Drives is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in electrical and automation maintenance. It has 10 modules and takes about 15.8 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
- 15.8 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 electrical and automation maintenance
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: drives engineer, motion control engineer, service technician and commissioning engineer. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- Connected Components Workbench Standard (free); Studio 5000 Logix Designer is paid and needed only for the EtherNet/IP module. Hardware: none required. A PowerFlex 525 makes the wiring modules real.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Set PowerFlex 525 parameters from the keypad and from CCW
- Wire 2-wire, 3-wire, reverse and analog speed control
- Connect a drive to a Logix PLC over EtherNet/IP
- Use encoder feedback, PID, StepLogic and Safe Torque Off on the 525
- Set up a PowerFlex 4 and know where the 750 series differs
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in electrical and automation maintenance.
Level: Beginner. Beginner to intermediate. The free VFD course is the ideal preparation.
What you need
Software: Connected Components Workbench Standard (free); Studio 5000 Logix Designer is paid and needed only for the EtherNet/IP module.
Hardware: None required. A PowerFlex 525 makes the wiring modules 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
10 modules in order, at your own pace. 15.8 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1The PowerFlex Family and VFD Fundamentals1h 45m
- 2PowerFlex 525: Keypad, Parameters, Wizard, Faults and Reset38m
- 3Wiring: 2-Wire, 3-Wire, Reverse, Potentiometer and Analog, with lab practice: 48m
- 4Connected Components Workbench for PowerFlex1h 44m
- 5EtherNet/IP with Logix: Adding the Drive, ADC, Start, Stop and Speed, with lab practice: 2h 30m
- 6Encoder, PID, StepLogic and STO on the 525, with lab practice: 24m
- 7PowerFlex 4 and 4M47m
- 8PowerFlex 750 Series and 755TS43m
Show the other 2 modules
- 9Armor PowerFlex, MCCs, Line Reactors and IEEE 51948m
- 10Final 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 (2 tools)
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.
Optional
Useful, not needed to finish the course.
- 02Paid only
Studio 5000 Logix Designer
Rockwell Automation
- Runs on
- Windows (check the Studio 5000 entry on the Product Compatibility and Download Center for exact versions)
- Account
- A Rockwell Automation account plus a purchased licence (serial number or subscription)
Rockwell sells Studio 5000 Logix Designer as a perpetual licence or a paid subscription. Rockwell's product page offers no public free trial or free edition.
Steps
- 1.If your employer or college has a Studio 5000 licence, ask for access and the serial number.
- 2.Sign in to the Rockwell Product Compatibility and Download Center and search for Studio 5000 Logix Designer.
- 3.Download the version that matches your controller firmware.
- 4.Install it as administrator and activate the licence with FactoryTalk Activation Manager.
- 5.If you have no licence, use one of the free Rockwell tools listed below instead.
- Match the Logix Designer major version to the controller firmware you will use.
Rockwell Automation product pagerockwellautomation.comLegitimate free routes
- Connected Components Workbench Standard Edition: Free. Programs Micro800 controllers and includes a demo Micro800 Simulator.
- FactoryTalk Design Workbench: Free Rockwell tool for Micro800 controllers, listed with the free downloads on PCDC.
- RSLogix Micro Starter Lite: Free edition for MicroLogix 1000 and 1100.
- FactoryTalk Design Studio free trial: Rockwell's cloud-based Logix design software with a free 90-day trial in the browser.
- Rockwell Automation training: Instructor-led Studio 5000 courses; an employer licence is the other legitimate route.
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
Wire a variable frequency drive in the Panel Lab, with safe torque off, a run command and a speed signal, and write the matching PLC start and stop logic.
- Motor start/stop with overloadPLC lab, about 45 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Motor start/stop with overload
- Commission the variable-speed infeed conveyor driveElectrical labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Commission the variable-speed infeed conveyor drive
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 10 hours
Humidification fans: six PowerFlex 525 drives, from motor list to energy report
Choose and set up PowerFlex 525 drives for a spinning mill's humidification fans, and prove the saving with the cube law. You deliver a selection table, a parameter record, control logic, a Safe Torque Off sketch, a commissioning plan and an energy report.
- 8documents in the pack
- 8steps to follow
- 6things to hand in
- 10 hof work, at your pace
- Motor listMotor List: Humidification Plants HP-1, HP-2 and HP-3
- Load listElectrical Load List: VFD Panel HUM-VFD-1
- MCC scheduleMCC Schedule: VFD Panel HUM-VFD-1
- Single lineSingle Line Diagram: HUM-VFD-1 and its feeder from LV-2 (described)
- Drive parameter listDrive Parameter Record: Six PowerFlex 525 on HUM-VFD-1
- FATFactory Acceptance Test Record: VFD Panel HUM-VFD-1
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 internshipMore free courses
Roles that use this skill
- Drives engineer
- Motion control engineer
- Service 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: Tim Wilborne, ESECOTV, lanre gbenga sadeeq, McNaughton-McKay Electric Company, Solution Consultants Network, Shane Welcher SR. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
Tim Wilborne · ESECOTV · ESECOTV · lanre gbenga sadeeq · McNaughton-McKay Electric Company · Solution Consultants Network · Shane Welcher SR. 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, from Rockwell; it programs drives, Micro800 PLCs and PanelView 800 panels.
Which drives are covered?
PowerFlex 4, 4M, 523, 525, 753, 755, 755TS and Armor PowerFlex, with the 525 as the main teaching drive.
Do I need Studio 5000?
For the EtherNet/IP module; the trial is enough.
Is the Allen-Bradley PowerFlex Drives 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 vendor qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a vendor credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons in the Allen-Bradley PowerFlex Drives 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 PowerFlex Drives course take?
Plan on about 16 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the ten 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 PowerFlex Drives course cover, module by module?
The Allen-Bradley PowerFlex Drives course has 10 modules. It opens with "The PowerFlex Family and VFD Fundamentals", goes through "PowerFlex 525: Keypad, Parameters, Wizard, Faults and Reset", "Connected Components Workbench for PowerFlex", "PowerFlex 4 and 4M" and "Armor PowerFlex, MCCs, Line Reactors and IEEE 519" 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 PowerFlex Drives course?
After the Allen-Bradley PowerFlex Drives course: Select PowerFlex drives and read motor nameplates; Set 525 parameters from the keypad and CCW; Wire 2-wire, 3-wire, reverse and analog control. 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 PowerFlex Drives course, and does it cost anything?
For the Allen-Bradley PowerFlex Drives course, software: Connected Components Workbench Standard (free); Studio 5000 Logix Designer is paid and needed only for the EtherNet/IP module. Hardware: none required. A PowerFlex 525 makes the wiring modules real. The course itself is free.
Is the Allen-Bradley PowerFlex Drives course suitable for me, and what level is it?
Allen-Bradley PowerFlex Drives is rated beginner. Beginner to intermediate. The free VFD course is the ideal preparation. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in electrical and automation maintenance, and takes about 15.8 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the Allen-Bradley PowerFlex Drives course?
Skills from the Allen-Bradley PowerFlex Drives course (for example: select PowerFlex drives and read motor nameplates) are used in roles such as drives engineer, motion control engineer, service technician and commissioning engineer, and in drives and 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 PowerFlex Drives, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.