Electrical CAD
EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel
Design electrical projects in EPLAN Electric P8, from terminals and PLC I/O to reports and Pro Panel 3D panel layouts.
EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers and panel designers. It has 14 modules and takes about 20.1 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
- 20.1 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 and panel designers
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: electrical design engineer, panel designer, electrical technician and maintenance engineer. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- EPLAN Electric P8 (Education or trial licence). Hardware: none required.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Create an EPLAN project with a correct structure and title pages
- Design terminal strips, cables and PLC I/O
- Build and use macros and manage parts with the Data Portal
- Generate reports and PDFs
- Lay out a panel in 2D and Pro Panel 3D
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers and panel designers.
Level: Beginner. Beginner to intermediate. Reading electrical drawings is assumed.
What you need
Software: EPLAN Electric P8 (Education or trial licence).
Hardware: None 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
14 modules in order, at your own pace. 20.1 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1EPLAN Electric P8 and Creating a Project18m
- 2Pages, Structure and Plot Frames1h 22m
- 3Symbols, Devices and Properties, with lab practice: 1h 5m
- 4Structure to IEC 81346, Modular Engineering and Function Pages36m
- 5Terminals, Cables and Interruption Points1h 37m
- 6PLC Design, with lab practice: 27m
- 7Macros55m
- 8Parts Management and the Data Portal34m
Show the other 6 modules
- 9Reports, Checks and Export57m
- 10Potentials, Tracking and Project Options30m
- 112D Panel Layout and Pro Panel 3D1h 21m
- 12Routing, Smart Wiring and Production1h 41m
- 13EPLAN Cloud: eVIEW, eMANAGE, eSTOCK and eBUILD55m
- 14Final 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 (1 tool)
Required
- 01Free for students
Eplan Electric P8
Eplan
- Runs on
- Windows 11 64-bit PC with an AVX2-capable processor (see Eplan's system requirements)
- Account
- A free Eplan Cloud account registered as a student
Eplan gives free Eplan Education licences to pupils, trainees and students for private use. It includes Electric P8, Preplanning and Pro Panel, is limited to 40 schematic pages and may not be installed on a company or school computer. When a licence expires you can request a new one while you are still a student.
Steps
- 1.Open the Eplan Education for Students page and select Download Eplan Education.
- 2.Register in the Eplan Cloud as a student.
- 3.Choose the Eplan version to download from your Downloads section.
- 4.Install Eplan on your own Windows PC.
- 5.Request an Entitlement ID in your account and use it to activate the licence.
- Eplan's free eLearning courses are available to registered students.
- If you change computer, request a new Entitlement ID rather than moving the old one.
Official download pageeplan.comAlternatives
- Eplan Education for Classrooms: For teachers and trainers at non-commercial institutions; contact education@eplan.de.
- QElectroTech: Free open-source schematic editor for learners who are not students.
- Employer licence: Licensed users download Electric P8 from the Eplan download portal.
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 the contactor circuit and the PLC sensor inputs you draw in EPLAN, and see how a schematic becomes a panel that works.
- Commission the transfer-pump starterElectrical labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Commission the transfer-pump starter
- Commission the sorting station sensorsElectrical labOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Commission the sorting station sensors
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 18 hours
Pouch-packaging machine control panel: a complete EPLAN P8 project from structure to Pro Panel and reports
Build the EPLAN Electric P8 project for the control panel of a vertical form-fill-seal pouch machine. You structure the pages to IEC 81346 and draw power, control and safety sheets. You add a CompactLogix I/O card set, terminals and cables, a Pro Panel 3D layout with routed wires, and the generated reports. It uses the work of modules 1 to 13. The sample pack shows what a machine builder's design office hands to the panel shop and the customer.
- 8documents in the pack
- 8steps to follow
- 6things to hand in
- 18 hof work, at your pace
- Drawing listDrawing and Document List: VFFS Machine VF-1 Control Panel CP1
- Wiring drawingsSchematic Set: Sheet Contents and Circuits, Panel CP1
- I/O listI/O List: Panel CP1, CompactLogix 1769-L33ER
- Panel GAPanel CP1: Pro Panel Layout, Door, Mounting Plate and Routing
- BOMBill of Materials: Panel CP1 and Machine Devices (generated parts list)
- Cable scheduleCable Schedule: Machine VF-1, Panel CP1 to Machine
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.
Electrical Design
Eight short weeks of single-line diagrams, load schedules, cable sizing and protection: notes, diagrams, a few videos and self-checking design exercises. 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 internshipPart of a learning path
Courses in a planned order, so each one builds on the last.
More free courses
Roles that use this skill
- Electrical design engineer
- Panel designer
- Electrical technician
- Maintenance 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: EPLAN with Chris, EPLAN in a Nutshell, Roland Younk, EPLAN Quebec Canada Inc.. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
EPLAN with Chris · EPLAN in a Nutshell · Roland Younk, EPLAN Quebec Canada Inc.. 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
What is IEC 81346 and why does EPLAN use it?
IEC 81346 is the international standard for structuring systems and giving every object a reference designation, the structured tag that identifies each device. The IEC states that IEC 81346-1 establishes general principles for structuring systems, and that a reference designation labelled at a component is the key to finding information about that object across documents. EPLAN builds its page and device structure on this scheme, and this course teaches modular engineering to DIN 81346 so your projects stay navigable.
Can I use the EPLAN student licence for paid or commercial work?
No, the student licence is for learning only. Eplan's Education for Students page states that free Eplan Education licences are provided to pupils, trainees and students for private use. For paid project work you need a commercial EPLAN licence through your employer, but the student licence is enough to follow every module of this course.
Is EPLAN free?
EPLAN Education is free for students and teachers, and a trial exists; either covers the course.
Why EPLAN rather than AutoCAD Electrical?
OEMs supplying European customers are asked for EPLAN; both courses are here, take the one your employer names.
Is Pro Panel included?
Yes, as the 3D half: layout, routing, Smart Wiring and production.
Is the EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel 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 EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel 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 EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel course take?
Plan on about 20 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the fourteen 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 EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel course cover, module by module?
The EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel course has 14 modules. It opens with "EPLAN Electric P8 and Creating a Project", goes through "Pages, Structure and Plot Frames", "PLC Design", "Reports, Checks and Export" and "EPLAN Cloud: eVIEW, eMANAGE, eSTOCK and eBUILD" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel course?
After the EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel course: Create projects with base projects, plot frames and structure identifiers; Place symbols, devices, terminals, cables and PLC cards; Build macros and manage parts with the Data Portal. 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 EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel course, and does it cost anything?
For the EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel course, software: EPLAN Electric P8 (Education or trial licence). Hardware: none required. The course itself is free.
Is the EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel course suitable for me, and what level is it?
EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel is rated beginner. Beginner to intermediate. Reading electrical drawings is assumed. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers and panel designers, and takes about 20.1 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel course?
Skills from the EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel course (for example: create projects with base projects, plot frames and structure identifiers) are used in roles such as electrical design engineer, panel designer, electrical technician and maintenance engineer, and in electrical design 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
EPLAN Electric P8 and Pro Panel, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.