DCS
Emerson DeltaV DCS
Understand how an Emerson DeltaV DCS is built and run, from controllers and CHARMs to Control Studio, PID and alarms.
Emerson DeltaV DCS is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in process control. It has 13 modules and takes about 18.6 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$28.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Intermediate
- 18.6 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- Lab practice in your browser
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$28.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in process control
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: SCADA engineer, HMI developer, control room technologist and systems integrator. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- DeltaV (licensed; lessons use training systems and DeltaV Virtual Studio). Hardware: none. Follow by watching and re-drawing; no DeltaV licence required.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Explain what a DCS is and how DeltaV is built
- Describe DeltaV controllers, I/O and CHARMs
- Build modules in Control Studio
- Configure and tune PID loops
- Operate DeltaV with alarms and history
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in process control.
Level: Intermediate. Intermediate. Instrumentation and control basics assumed.
What you need
Software: DeltaV (licensed; lessons use training systems and DeltaV Virtual Studio).
Hardware: None. Follow by watching and re-drawing; no DeltaV licence required.. 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
13 modules in order, at your own pace. 18.6 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1What a DCS Is and How DeltaV Is Built33m
- 2Architecture in Depth; Controllers, I/O and CHARMs54m
- 3Commissioning a Controller and Configuring I/O36m
- 4First Program: Explorer, Control Studio, FBD, SFC and ST34m
- 5Analog Signals, Faceplates and Graphics, with lab practice: 39m
- 6Timers, Counters and Scripted Buttons, with lab practice: 40m
- 7PID: Setup, Modes, Tuning and Cascade, with lab practice: 1h 25m
- 8Advanced Control: Totalisers, Calculations, Override, Split-range, MPC1h 58m
Show the other 5 modules
- 9Device Control and Sequences33m
- 10DeltaV Operate: The Operator Interface, with lab practice: 1h 20m
- 11Alarms, History, Analysis, Versions and Virtualisation, with lab practice: 55m
- 12Plant Projects, with lab practice: 1h 30m
- 13Final 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.
Nothing to install to finish the course
The lessons are recorded on DeltaV training systems, because DeltaV is licensed plant software with no public download.
Show what to download (1 tool)
Optional
Useful, not needed to finish the course.
- 01Licensed systems only
DeltaV Distributed Control System
Emerson
- Runs on
- Windows (supplied as part of the licensed system)
- Account
- Access through an employer, a university or Emerson training
Emerson does not offer a public download, trial or demo of DeltaV. Learners get hands-on time through an employer's system, a college or university that runs DeltaV, or Emerson's own training courses.
Steps
- 1.Ask your employer or college whether they have a DeltaV system or simulation you can use.
- 2.Look at Emerson's DeltaV training courses, which are offered online, in virtual classrooms and at training centres.
- 3.Meanwhile, practise control logic and HMI skills with free tools such as CODESYS or Ignition.
Emerson product pageemerson.comLegitimate free routes
- Emerson DeltaV training: Emerson's own courses, including online and virtual classroom options.
- Ignition (trial mode): Free SCADA platform to practise supervisory control and HMI design.
- CODESYS Development System: Free tool to practise function block and sequential function chart logic used in DCS work.
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
Practise the plant-side jobs behind a DCS: check a 4 to 20 mA loop, tune a PID loop, rationalise alarms and build an operator screen.
- Loop checkProcess lab, about 35 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Loop check
- Tune the level loopProcess lab, about 45 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Tune the level loop
- Alarm rationalisationProcess lab, about 50 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Alarm rationalisation
- Build an operator screenProcess lab, about 45 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Build an operator screen
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 20 hours
Glass-lined batch reactor on DeltaV: ISA-88 phases, CHARMs I/O, alarm rationalisation and a batch FAT
Design, test and document the DeltaV control of a 6.3 m³ jacketed batch reactor making a chemical intermediate. You work in DeltaV terms: the network, a CHARMs I/O list, control modules, ISA-88 phases for one recipe, a rationalised alarm list, displays and a factory acceptance test record. A sample document pack shows what an integrator hands a chemical plant.
- 11documents in the pack
- 8steps to follow
- 6things to hand in
- 20 hof work, at your pace
- Network architectureSystem and Network Architecture: R-301 DeltaV System
- HDSHardware Design Specification: Controller, CHARM I/O Allocation and Loading
- Control narrativeControl Narrative: Reactor R-301
- Recipe / phase specRecipe and Phase Logic Specification: R-301 Esterification
- SDSSoftware Design Specification: Control Module Typicals and Naming
- I/O listI/O List: R-301, CHARMs I/O Card CIOC1
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$28.99 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.
SCADA and HMI
Eight short weeks of tags, screens, alarms and trends: notes, diagrams, a few videos and practice in LADX Mini and free web SCADA tools. 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
- SCADA engineer
- HMI developer
- Control room technologist
- Systems integrator
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: PLC Tutor, IT and Automation Academy, DeltaV Automation Platform (Emerson), Carson Merkwan, Clifford Long, Instrumentation Study Guide, RealPars, Lakeside Process Controls, BTCInstrumentation, AMS Reliability, Stover Controls, ControlLoopBook, InD&A, Kishore Karuppaswamy, Bill Howard, Jeff Lutz, LIQ UNAM, madmizz51, sciensim2013, Emerson's Automation Technologies & Solutions, Tim Alosi. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
PLC Tutor · Aaron Mckee · Yaser Afaneh · Carson Merkwan · Keith Hunter · IT and Automation Academy. 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
Can I practise without DeltaV?
Yes. DeltaV is licensed plant software with no public download or trial, so every practice task is designed to be done on paper: tables, sketches and arithmetic. If your employer or college has a DeltaV system or a Virtual Studio training system, repeat the tasks there.
Is this an operator or an engineer course?
Both. The operator modules cover DeltaV Operate, faceplates, alarms and history; the engineering modules cover Explorer, Control Studio, I/O and advanced control.
Which lessons were left out?
One members-only playlist and a few unlisted or unreachable videos; their topics are covered by public lessons from the other creators.
Is the Emerson DeltaV DCS 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 an Emerson qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not an Emerson credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons in the Emerson DeltaV DCS 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 Emerson DeltaV DCS course take?
Plan on about 19 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the thirteen 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 Emerson DeltaV DCS course cover, module by module?
The Emerson DeltaV DCS course has 13 modules. It opens with "What a DCS Is and How DeltaV Is Built", goes through "Architecture in Depth; Controllers, I/O and CHARMs", "Analog Signals, Faceplates and Graphics", "Device Control and Sequences" and "Plant Projects" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the Emerson DeltaV DCS course?
After the Emerson DeltaV DCS course: Explain DCS versus PLC and SCADA and draw the DeltaV architecture; Know controllers, S-series and PK, CHARMs and electronic marshalling; Commission a controller and configure I/O, including bulk edit. 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 Emerson DeltaV DCS course, and does it cost anything?
For the Emerson DeltaV DCS course, software: DeltaV (licensed; lessons use training systems and DeltaV Virtual Studio). Hardware: none. Follow by watching and re-drawing; no DeltaV licence required. The course itself is free.
Is the Emerson DeltaV DCS course suitable for me, and what level is it?
Emerson DeltaV DCS is rated intermediate. Intermediate. Instrumentation and control basics assumed. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in process control, and takes about 18.6 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the Emerson DeltaV DCS course?
Skills from the Emerson DeltaV DCS course (for example: explain DCS versus PLC and SCADA and draw the DeltaV architecture) are used in roles such as SCADA engineer, HMI developer, control room technologist and systems integrator, and in control systems 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
Emerson DeltaV DCS, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.