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PLC programming

Allen-Bradley Studio 5000

Program a CompactLogix PLC in Studio 5000 from the wiring up: tags, timers, counters, a drive on Ethernet and messaging.

Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 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 17.1 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
  • 17.1 hours
  • Self-paced
  • Certificate optional
  • Lab practice in your browser
See what you learn

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
Studio 5000 Logix Designer and Logix Emulate are paid Rockwell software; check Rockwell's site for any current trial or student offer. Use a licence from work or college, or follow the exercises in the free Connected Components Workbench; see What to download on this page. Hardware: none. Logix Emulate stands in for the controller.
Updated
Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 course cover
Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 course cover

After this course you can

By the end you will be able to:

  • Wire and connect a CompactLogix
  • Write tag-based programs with bit instructions, timers and counters
  • Choose data types and use arrays and indirect addressing
  • Put a PowerFlex 525 drive and a Modbus TCP device on the network
  • Message between controllers and clear faults

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 Rockwell experience assumed; knowing what a PLC is helps.

What you need

Software: Studio 5000 Logix Designer and Logix Emulate are paid Rockwell software; check Rockwell's site for any current trial or student offer. Use a licence from work or college, or follow the exercises in the free Connected Components Workbench; see What to download on this page.

Hardware: None. Logix Emulate stands in for the controller.. What to download, and how.

How this course works

  1. Watch the lessons

    Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.

  2. Read the notes

    Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.

  3. Practise in the 3D labOptional

    Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.

  4. Check yourself

    Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.

  5. Final assessment

    Pass the final once you have been through the modules.

  6. 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. 17.1 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.

  1. 1Studio 5000, Logix Designer and the Logix Family11m
  2. 2Wiring a CompactLogix: Sinking Inputs and Sourcing Outputs17m
  3. 3Connecting Over Ethernet, Uploading and Downloading34m
  4. 4The Key Switch and Controller Modes5m
  5. 5Bit Instructions: XIC, XIO and OTE, with lab practice: 2h 16m
  6. 6Timers: TON, TOF and RTO, with lab practice: 40m
  7. 7Counters: CTU and CTD, with lab practice: 15m
  8. 8Data Types: BOOL, INT, DINT, REAL and Arrays13m
Show the other 8 modules
  1. 9Indirect Addressing and Storing Data20m
  2. 10Expansion Modules and Ethernet Modules36m
  3. 11A PowerFlex 525 Drive on EtherNet/IP19m
  4. 12Messaging and Produced/Consumed Tags29m
  5. 13Modbus TCP: Client and Server, with lab practice: 28m
  6. 14High-speed Counters and a SCARA Robot37m
  7. 15Faults, Firmware and Recovery13m
  8. 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 (3 tools)

Required

  1. 01

    Studio 5000 Logix Designer

    Rockwell Automation

    Paid only
    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.

    Rockwell Automation product pagerockwellautomation.com

    Legitimate free routes

Optional

Useful, not needed to finish the course.

  1. 02

    Studio 5000 Logix Emulate and FactoryTalk Logix Echo

    Rockwell Automation

    Paid, 30-day Logix Echo trial on request
    Runs on
    Windows
    Account
    A Rockwell Automation account; the Logix Echo trial is requested through a form on Rockwell's page

    Both emulators are paid Rockwell products. Rockwell offers a 30-day FactoryTalk Logix Echo trial licence on request; Logix Emulate has no trial on its product page. Both also need a licensed Studio 5000 Logix Designer to create the programs you emulate.

    Rockwell Automation product pagerockwellautomation.com

    Legitimate free routes

  2. 03

    Connected Components Workbench Standard Edition

    Rockwell Automation

    Free
    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.

    Official download pagecompatibility.rockwellautomation.com

    Alternatives

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 XIC, XIO, timer and counter logic you write in Studio 5000 on working machines in the PLC lab, then pass each lab test.

Build a ladder rungWatch

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Course project, about 18 hours

Bottle unscrambler and filler infeed: CompactLogix 5380, PowerFlex 525 and PanelView Plus 7, from FDS to signed FAT

Design, program, test and document the control panel for a bottle unscrambler and its filler infeed on a beverage co-packing line. It has four motors, a PowerFlex 525 on EtherNet/IP, bottle counting and a screen design. You deliver the Logix project, your own I/O list and FAT record, and the hand-over note, then compare them with the sample pack.

This project at a glance
  1. 9documents in the pack
  2. 9steps to follow
  3. Laboptional: in the 3D lab
  4. 6things to hand in
  5. 18 hof work, at your pace
  • FDSFunctional Design Specification: Line 2 Unscrambler and Filler Infeed
  • I/O listI/O List: Panel CP-201
  • BOMBill of Materials: Panel CP-201 and Field Devices
  • Tag listController Tag List and Naming Convention
  • IP planIP Address Plan and Device List: Line 2 Unscrambler Network
  • Alarm listAlarm List: Line 2 Unscrambler

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.

Sample EDWartens Certificate of Completion for Allen-Bradley Studio 5000

Sample. The issued certificate carries your name, your final score, a certificate ID and a QR code that opens its verification page.

Optional

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.

An engineer in a hard hat checking neat, labelled wiring on I/O racks inside an open control cabinet.
Free · 4 weeks · free certificate

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 internship

Part 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: Tim Wilborne (TW Controls). Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.

Tim Wilborne (TW Controls). 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.

See the 3D lab
  • 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

Do I need Studio 5000?

For hands-on exercises, yes, and Rockwell sells it: check Rockwell's site for any current trial or student offer, as those change. If your workplace or college has a licence, use it; otherwise the free Connected Components Workbench teaches the same ladder, timers and tags on Micro800, and What to download on this page lists every legitimate route. The videos can be followed without it, but the practice tasks assume you have it.

Do I need a CompactLogix?

No. Logix Emulate is a controller in software and every exercise runs on it. The wiring module uses a real trainer so you know what the hardware looks like, but you do not need one.

Is this RSLogix 5000 or Studio 5000?

Both names appear because Rockwell renamed RSLogix 5000 to Studio 5000 Logix Designer at version 21. The software, the instructions and the tag model are the same lineage; what you learn here applies to either.

How is this different from the RSLogix 500 course?

RSLogix 500 programs the older MicroLogix and SLC 500 families, which use file-based addressing like N7:0. Studio 5000 programs the Logix family with tags. Both are still common on plant floors; this course is the modern one.

What computer do I need for the Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 course?

A 64-bit Windows PC that meets Rockwell's published requirements for your Studio 5000 version (check them before you install). Studio 5000 is Windows-only and does not run on macOS or Linux without a Windows virtual machine.

Is the Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 course really free?

Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved. 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.

Will this course get me a job?

On its own, no course will. Allen-Bradley PLCs are widely used, particularly in North America, and being able to open a Studio 5000 project, add a drive and fix a fault is exactly what those adverts describe.

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 Studio 5000 course cover, module by module?

The Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 course has 16 modules. It opens with "Studio 5000, Logix Designer and the Logix Family", goes through "Wiring a CompactLogix: Sinking Inputs and Sourcing Outputs", "Timers: TON, TOF and RTO", "A PowerFlex 525 Drive on EtherNet/IP" and "Faults, Firmware and Recovery" 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 Studio 5000 course?

After the Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 course: Wire sinking inputs and sourcing outputs to a CompactLogix without guessing; Connect over Ethernet, download, upload, and fix RSLinx browsing problems; Write tag-based ladder with XIC, XIO, OTE, TON, TOF, RTO, CTU and CTD. 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 Studio 5000 course, and does it cost anything?

For the Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 course, software: Studio 5000 Logix Designer and Logix Emulate are paid Rockwell software; check Rockwell's site for any current trial or student offer. Use a licence from work or college, or follow the exercises in the free Connected Components Workbench; see What to download on this page. Hardware: none. Logix Emulate stands in for the controller. The course itself is free.

Is the Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 course suitable for me, and what level is it?

Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 is rated beginner. Beginner. No Rockwell experience assumed; knowing what a PLC is helps. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation, and takes about 17.1 hours at your own pace.

Which jobs use the skills from the Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 course?

Skills from the Allen-Bradley Studio 5000 course (for example: wire sinking inputs and sourcing outputs to a CompactLogix without guessing) 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 Studio 5000, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.