PLC programming 路 Free
Allen-Bradley RSLogix 500 and MicroLogix
The MicroLogix and SLC 500 on real hardware: file-based addressing, every instruction group, analog scaling, faults and forces, in RSLogix 500.
Inside the course
From the lessons
MicroLogix, SLC 500 and RSLogix 500
Instrumentation Tools
The Scan Cycle, and What a Blank Program Does
Tim Wilborne
Latch, Unlatch, One-shots and Power-up Behaviour
Tim Wilborne
Counters: CTU and CTD
Tim Wilborne
Move, Masks and Bitwise Logic
Tech Talk Lalitesh
Analog Inputs and Scaling: SCL and SCP
Tim Wilborne
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
Wire and connect a MicroLogix, understand the scan and file-based addressing, write ladder with XIC, XIO, OTE, OTL, OTU and one-shots, use timers, counters, comparators, math, move, masks, bitwise and file instructions, control program flow with JMP, JSR and MCR, scale analog with SCP, configure a high-speed counter, use forces safely, clear faults, and build the tank, traffic-light and elevator programs.
- Wire a MicroLogix and read its status LEDs
- Connect over Ethernet or serial DF1, upload, download and go online
- Read and write file-based addresses: I:0/3, B3:0/5, N7:10, T4:0.ACC
- Use every instruction group: bit, timer, counter, compare, math, move, file, control
- Scale a 4-20 mA input with SCP and check it by hand
- Configure the high-speed counter and compute RPM
- Use forces safely and clear a fault from the status file
- Build the tank, traffic-light and elevator programs from a specification
For you
Taking Allen-Bradley RSLogix 500 and MicroLogix from the United States
- Free in the United States, as everywhere, and self-paced: lessons, notes and the final assessment are open at any hour, so your time zone and shift pattern do not matter.
- The optional certificate for learners in the United States is a one-off US$23.99. What you get for it
- Allen-Bradley is one of the automation brands most widely installed across the Americas, so this is a skill plants and integrators near you ask for.
- See automation and engineering jobs in the United States, and what the industry looks like in Houston, Detroit and Chicago.
- EDWartens also has a regional site for the United States, for classroom training and local support: edwartens.com/us.
The course project 路 about 16 hours
Foundry sand-muller retrofit: relay panel to MicroLogix 1400 and PanelView 800, from I/O list to signed FAT
Replace the relay logic of a foundry sand mixer with a MicroLogix 1400: star-delta start of the 22 kW muller, a weighed sand charge from a 4-20 mA load cell, additive and water dosing by timer and pulse count, a mulling timer, discharge, batch counting and a PanelView 800 screen. You deliver the RSLogix 500 program with a documented data-file layout, your own existing-versus-new I/O list and FAT record, and the operator note. The sample pack shows what an integrator hands a foundry after a retrofit.
Sample document pack, 8 documents, filled in for the scenario
- Control narrativeControl Narrative: Sand Muller M-3 Retrofit
- I/O listI/O List: Panel CP-M3, Existing versus New
- Tag listData-File Map and Address Convention: MicroLogix 1400
- BOMBill of Materials: Panel CP-M3 Rebuild and Field Devices
- Alarm listAlarm List: Muller M-3
- Change noticeDesign Change Notice 001: Water Dose by Pulse Meter Instead of Timer
- FATFactory Acceptance Test Record: Panel CP-M3 Rebuild
- O&M manualOperation and Maintenance Manual: Muller M-3 (Operation section)
Read inside the course and download as a workbook. The project is optional practice, marked when you submit it; the certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
Course content
19 modules 路 120 lessons 路 15h 34m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01MicroLogix, SLC 500 and RSLogix 5006 lessons24m
- 02Wiring the MicroLogix Trainer2 lessons11m
- 03Connecting: Ethernet, Serial DF1, RSLinx and Going Online7 lessons42m
- 04The Scan Cycle, and What a Blank Program Does2 lessons16m
- 05File-based Addressing: I, O, B3, N7, T4, C5 and Friends4 lessons29m
- 06XIC, XIO, OTE and the Seal-in7 lessons1h 18m
- 07Latch, Unlatch, One-shots and Power-up Behaviour8 lessons1h 13m
- 08Logic Gates, Latching Patterns and Interlocks5 lessons50m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Beginner. No PLC experience assumed; the course opens with what a PLC is and how the MicroLogix is wired.
- Software
- RSLogix Micro Starter Lite (the free edition of RSLogix 500, for the MicroLogix 1000 and 1100), with the free RSLinx Classic Lite and RSLogix Emulate 500 What to download, and how
- Hardware
- None. Emulate 500 runs the exercises and every program can be written and verified offline; the videos use a real MicroLogix trainer so you see the real thing.
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.
Required
- 01Free edition with limits
RSLogix Micro Starter Lite
Rockwell Automation
- Runs on
- Windows
- Account
- A free Rockwell Automation account (sign in to the Product Compatibility and Download Center)
Micro Starter Lite is the free entry edition of RSLogix 500 and only programs MicroLogix 1000 and 1100 controllers. For other MicroLogix or SLC 500 controllers you need a paid RSLogix 500 or RSLogix Micro edition.
Steps
- 1.Search the Product Compatibility and Download Center for RSLogix Micro Starter Lite.
- 2.Choose RSLogix Micro Starter Lite w/o RSLinx EN (8.30.00) and click Available Downloads, then sign in.
- 3.Download and install it as administrator.
- 4.Also download RSLinx Classic Lite (free) from PCDC and install it to connect to a controller.
- 5.Start RSLogix Micro Starter Lite and create a project for a MicroLogix 1000 or 1100.
- The EN download does not include RSLinx; RSLinx Classic Lite is listed as a free download on PCDC.
- PCDC also lists RSLogix Emulate 500 for download; check its release note before relying on it with the Lite edition.
Official download pagecompatibility.rockwellautomation.comAlternatives
- RSLinx Classic Lite: Free communications driver needed to go online with MicroLogix controllers.
- Connected Components Workbench Standard Edition: Free, for Micro800 controllers, with a demo simulator.
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Allen-Bradley RSLogix 500 and MicroLogix at a glance
Allen-Bradley RSLogix 500 and MicroLogix is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, ITI and diploma holders, and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation. It has 19 modules and 15h 34m of video lessons by Tim Wilborne (TW Controls), Tech Talk Lalitesh, Instrumentation Tools and others, with written notes and worked problems, a practical project with a document pack and a 15-question final assessment (pass mark 60%). Learning is free with an account; an optional certificate with a public verification code is issued when you pass. Last updated 27 September 2026.
All course factsHide course facts
- Price
- Free, for good. No trial, no card. The only paid item is the optional certificate, a small one-off fee.
- Who it is for
- Engineering students, ITI and diploma holders, and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation
- Format
- 19 self-paced modules, 15h 34m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Beginner. Beginner. No PLC experience assumed; the course opens with what a PLC is and how the MicroLogix is wired.
- Brand
- Allen-Bradley
- Software
- RSLogix Micro Starter Lite (the free edition of RSLogix 500, for the MicroLogix 1000 and 1100), with the free RSLinx Classic Lite and RSLogix Emulate 500
- Hardware
- None. Emulate 500 runs the exercises and every program can be written and verified offline; the videos use a real MicroLogix trainer so you see the real thing.
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- Tim Wilborne (TW Controls), Tech Talk Lalitesh, Instrumentation Tools, plcgoods, IPCS Global (independent creators, credited below)
- Language
- English
- Last updated
- 27 September 2026
A shareable EDWartens certificate
Finish every module and pass the final assessment, and the optional EDWartens certificate is yours. It carries a unique verification code on a public page anyone can check, so it stands up when a recruiter looks it up. See it below.
The course itself stays free whether or not you ever buy one.
Stuck? Ask a practising engineer
A free course usually means a comment section and hope. This one does not. Every module has an Ask-your-trainer panel that reaches the same engineers who teach our paid programme: people who commission panels for a living, not moderators.
Pairs well with
PLC programming 路 FreeAllen-Bradley Studio 5000CompactLogix and ControlLogix from the wiring up: tags, instructions, timers, data, drives, messaging and Modbus, in Rockwell's Studio 5000.
PLC programming 路 FreeAllen-Bradley Micro800 with Connected Components WorkbenchThe 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.
SCADA 路 FreeFactoryTalk View Site Edition SCADARockwell's plant SCADA: applications and clients, displays and navigation, Logix tag references, global objects, FactoryTalk Alarms and Events, TrendPro, data logging and databases, RecipePro+, security and e-signatures, VBA, ViewPoint, backup and migration.
HMI 路 FreeFactoryTalk Optix HMI and EdgeRockwell'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.More free courses: Free Allen-Bradley PLC courses 路 Free PLC programming courses
Learning paths with this course
- Rockwell engineer path 路 5 coursesRSLogix 500 for the MicroLogix and SLC base, Studio 5000 for CompactLogix and ControlLogix, the Micro800 with CCW, and FactoryTalk View for the panels.
Learner reviews
No reviews yet
Reviews here are written only by learners who have finished every module of Allen-Bradley RSLogix 500 and MicroLogix, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.
Common questions
Do I need to buy RSLogix 500?
Not for the MicroLogix 1000 and 1100: Rockwell's RSLogix Micro Starter Lite is free and programs both, and RSLogix Emulate 500 lets you run programs with no hardware. Larger controllers need a paid edition.
Do I need a MicroLogix?
No. Emulate 500 runs the exercises, and every program can be written and verified offline. The wiring and hardware modules use a real trainer so you see what the terminals and LEDs look like.
The MicroLogix is obsolete. Why learn it?
Because it is everywhere. Hundreds of thousands were installed and they keep running; maintaining them, and eventually migrating them to Micro800 or CompactLogix, is paid work that needs someone who can read file-based addressing.
How does this relate to the Studio 5000 course?
RSLogix 500 is the older, file-based world of N7:0 and T4:0; Studio 5000 is tag-based. Many plants have both. Learn this one first if the sites you work at have MicroLogix or SLC racks.
What computer do I need for the Allen-Bradley RSLogix 500 and MicroLogix course?
A 64-bit Windows 10 machine with 8 GB of RAM. RSLogix 500 is Windows-only.
Is the Allen-Bradley RSLogix 500 and MicroLogix 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 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 RSLogix 500 and MicroLogix 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.
What you walk away with
Your certificate for Allen-Bradley RSLogix 500 and MicroLogix
Finish the course, pass the final, and this is the document with your name on it.
Verifiable by anyone
Adds to LinkedIn in one click
QR code on the certificate
Names what you can do
A permanent link
Earned, not attended
Learning is free. The certificate is optional.
Add it now and pay only when you have finished the course, or come back for it later. One-off, US$23.99, with a receipt.
Issued by EDWartens, the training division of Wartens, as a Certificate of Completion for this self-paced course. Sold by Wartens Ltd (England and Wales). It is not a vendor certification, a university award or a CPD-accredited activity, and it does not certify competence on live equipment. Delivered electronically; see the refund policy.
Credits
Who made the video lessons
The video lessons in this course were created by the people below, not by EDWartens. Every lesson streams from its creator's own YouTube channel; EDWartens neither hosts nor sells that footage, and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens and do not endorse this course. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
- Tim Wilborne (TW Controls)hardware, wiring, connection, scan, timers, counters, analog, HSC, forces and faults
- Tech Talk Laliteshthe instruction-by-instruction RSLogix 500 series
- Instrumentation Toolsthe Allen-Bradley PLC training series: fundamentals, addressing, logic examples and projects
- plcgoodsa lesson in "File Instructions: COP, FLL, BSL, BSR and Sequencers"
- IPCS Globala lesson in "High-speed Counters, Forces and Faults"
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.