Electrical 路 Free
Electrical Control Panel Design, Building and Testing
Free course for electrical beginners: read PLC wiring diagrams, then build, cool and test a UL 508A control panel. The certificate is optional and paid.
Inside the course
From the lessons
What a Control Panel Is
RealPars
Components
Tim Wilborne
Diagrams and Control Circuits
RealPars
Sensors, Commons and Noise
Tim Wilborne
Building a Panel Step by Step
Tim Wilborne
Workmanship
Tim Wilborne
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
Identify every part of a control panel, explain relays, contactors, transformers, terminal blocks and SCCR, read a PLC wiring diagram, wire 2-wire and 3-wire control, match sensors to inputs, build a panel from layout to test, apply workmanship rules, cool a panel and run a factory acceptance test.
- Name every part of a PLC control panel and what UL 508A covers
- Choose relays, contactors, overloads, transformers and terminal blocks, and state the SCCR
- Read a PLC wiring diagram and wire 2-wire and 3-wire control
- Match PNP and NPN sensors to sinking and sourcing inputs and shield cables
- Build a panel from tools and hole cutting to wiring and testing
- Apply workmanship rules: ferrules, crimps, labels, door wiring
- Size cooling and run a three-part factory acceptance test
For you
Taking Electrical Control Panel Design, Building and Testing 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
- Plants across the Americas most often run Allen-Bradley, Siemens and Inductive Automation; each has its own free course to take next.
- 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
Combined MCC and PLC panel for a rubber mixer line: from load list to IEC 60204-1 verification and FAT
Design, lay out, specify and test-document a combined motor control centre and PLC panel for a four-motor rubber internal mixer line: a 37 kW star-delta rotor drive, two VFD-fed motors and a DOL hydraulic pack, with a hardwired E-stop and a Siemens S7-1200 behind it. You deliver the load list, the I/O list, the BOM, the panel general arrangement, the clause 18 verification record and the FAT record. The sample pack shows what a panel builder hands the client with the panel.
Sample document pack, 8 documents, filled in for the scenario
- Load listElectrical Load List: Mixer Line MX1 Panel MCP-01
- I/O listI/O List: Panel MCP-01, S7-1200 CPU 1215C
- Panel GAPanel MCP-01: General Arrangement and Heat Balance
- Wiring drawingsSchematic and Termination Drawings: Sheet Index and Circuits
- BOMBill of Materials: Panel MCP-01 and Field Devices
- Cable scheduleCable Schedule: Mixer Line MX1
- Test reportVerification Record to IEC 60204-1 Clause 18: Panel MCP-01
- FATFactory Acceptance Test Record: Panel MCP-01
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.
The course project 路 about 16 hours
Export control panel for a US case packer: UL 508A construction, SCCR per Supplement SB and NFPA 79 wiring
Design and test-document the control panel for a wrap-around case packer built in Germany and shipped to a brewery in Ohio: 480 V 60 Hz, two VFD-driven axes, a self-protected Type E starter for the vacuum pump, a hot-melt glue feeder and a 120 V / 24 V DC control system, all built to UL 508A with a short-circuit current rating worked out per Supplement SB and wired to NFPA 79 colours and AWG sizes. You deliver the customer requirements summary, the load list with US full-load currents, the SCCR calculation, the panel layout with heat balance, the BOM, the wiring conventions and a FAT record with its failures.
Sample document pack, 9 documents, filled in for the scenario
- Drawing listDocument and Drawing List: Panel CP-01 Shipping Pack
- URSCustomer Requirements Summary: Control Panel CP-01 for Scioto Valley Beverage
- Load listLoad List and Feeder Calculation: Panel CP-01
- ReportShort-Circuit Current Rating Calculation per UL 508A Supplement SB: Panel CP-01
- Change noticeDesign Change Notice: Distribution Block and Feeder Terminals for SCCR
- Panel GAPanel CP-01: General Arrangement and Heat Balance
- BOMBill of Materials: Panel CP-01 with UL Status
- Wiring drawingsWiring Conventions and Schematic Sheet Index: Panel CP-01
- FATFactory Acceptance Test Record: Panel CP-01
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
9 modules 路 37 lessons 路 3h 54m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01What a Control Panel Is3 lessons35m
- 02Components6 lessons27m
- 03Diagrams and Control Circuits5 lessons30m
- 04Sensors, Commons and Noise2 lessons20m
- 05Building a Panel Step by Step6 lessons36m
- 06Workmanship8 lessons44m
- 07Motor Starter Panel Build1 lesson8m
- 08Cooling, FAT and Design Data5 lessons34m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Beginner. Electrical basics assumed.
- Software
- None.
- Hardware
- None required; a small enclosure and components make it hands-on.
Software you need
Nothing to install
Electrical Control Panel Design, Building and Testing at a glance
Electrical Control Panel Design, Building and Testing is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in electrical design and panel building. It has 9 modules and 3h 54m of video lessons by RealPars, Tim Wilborne, 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, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in electrical design and panel building
- Format
- 9 self-paced modules, 3h 54m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Beginner. Beginner. Electrical basics assumed.
- Brand
- Vendor-neutral
- Software
- None.
- Hardware
- None required; a small enclosure and components make it hands-on.
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, for a small one-off fee shown on edwartens.com/certificate. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- RealPars, Tim Wilborne (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
FreeElectrical 路 FreeETAP Power System Analysis: Load Flow, Short Circuit, Protection, Arc Flash and StabilityFree ETAP course for electrical engineers: load flow, short circuit, protection and arc flash studies. Learning is free; the certificate is optional and paid.
FreePLC programming 路 FreeSiemens TIA PortalFree Siemens TIA Portal course for beginners: write ladder logic for a simulated S7-1200 and WinCC HMI. Learning is free; the certificate is optional and paid.
FreePLC programming 路 FreeSiemens TIA Portal in Three HoursThe first three hours of the Siemens TIA Portal course, cut to end on a win: what a PLC is, how it is wired, a project configured in TIA Portal, and your first ladder program running in simulation. Finish it in an evening or two, earn a certificate, and carry straight on into the full course.
FreePLC programming 路 FreeTIA Portal: Build a MachineOne machine, start to finish. Take a bottle filling line from a written specification and an I/O list to a structured S7-1200 program with a fill station, a capper, a reject sorter and an operator screen with alarms, then test it against a written record and archive it for hand-over. The lessons are the reference; the machine is yours, and it is what you submit.More free courses: Free electrical design and control panel courses
Learning paths with this course
- PLC foundations 路 4 coursesOne PLC from scratch, the networks it talks over, the HMI on the door and the panel it lives in. The four things a maintenance engineer meets on day one.
- Electrical and mechanical fundamentals 路 4 coursesBefore the PLC: the electrical basics a technician works by, motor control with contactors and starters, pneumatics and hydraulics, and the control panel that holds it all. The base every automation engineer stands on.
- Electrical design engineer 路 4 coursesThe three schematic tools tenders name: EPLAN Electric P8, AutoCAD Electrical and SOLIDWORKS Electrical, with the panel-building course to know what the drawings become.
Learner reviews
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Reviews here are written only by learners who have finished every module of Electrical Control Panel Design, Building and Testing, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.
Common questions
What is UL 508A?
UL 508A is the safety standard for building industrial control panels used in the United States. UL Standards & Engagement says it was first published in 2001 and sets requirements so panels are built, labeled and tested to minimize the risks of fire, electric shock and equipment failure. UL Solutions notes that its Supplement SB is the only method specifically noted as being recognized by the US National Electrical Code for setting a panel's short-circuit rating. This course walks through building a UL 508A panel step by step, from layout to test.
What is SCCR on a control panel, and does every panel need one?
SCCR, the short-circuit current rating, is the highest fault current a panel can safely withstand, and a panel needs one when it contains at least one power circuit. UL Solutions says that if a panel has only control circuits, an SCCR is not required, and that UL 508A Supplement SB is the method used to determine it. UL Solutions also notes that terminal blocks have a default SCCR of 10 kA under UL 508A table SB4.1, which is why one low-rated component can limit the whole panel. The course explains SCCR alongside relays, contactors, transformers and terminal blocks.
Is this only for UL 508A (US) panels?
The workmanship, protection and testing principles apply everywhere; IEC 61439 panels follow the same logic with different standards. The course names the differences where they matter.
Do I need tools?
No. Every exercise can be done on paper; a small enclosure and a few components make it hands-on.
Is this safe to practise at home?
Only on de-energised panels. Never work live.
Is the Electrical Control Panel Design, Building and Testing 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 UL or 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 UL or vendor credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons in the Electrical Control Panel Design, Building and Testing 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 Electrical Control Panel Design, Building and Testing course take?
Plan on about 9 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the nine modules at your own speed.
What you walk away with
Your certificate for Electrical Control Panel Design, Building and Testing
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 Wartens Ltd (England and Wales, company no. 15262249) through the EDWartens training portal, as a Certificate of Completion for this self-paced course. Sold by Wartens Ltd. 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.
- RealParsthe Electrical Control Panel Basics series
- Tim Wilbornethe Control Panel Building series
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.