Electrical
Industrial Motor Control
Read motor control ladder diagrams and wire starters, reversing and braking circuits, before you move on to PLCs.
Industrial Motor Control 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 12 modules and takes about 5.5 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
- 5.5 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 in electrical design and panel building
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: electrical design engineer, panel designer, electrical technician and maintenance engineer. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- None required. Hardware: none required. A motor control trainer board with a contactor, overload and push buttons makes every wiring lesson real.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Read and draw motor control ladder diagrams
- Wire manual and magnetic starters with two-wire and three-wire control
- Build reversing, jogging and braking circuits with interlocks
- Use on-delay, off-delay and other timers in motor circuits
- Test and troubleshoot motor circuits safely
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in electrical design and panel building.
Level: Beginner. Beginner. Basic electricity is enough; this course comes before PLCs.
What you need
Software: None required..
Hardware: None required. A motor control trainer board with a contactor, overload and push buttons makes every wiring lesson real..
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
12 modules in order, at your own pace. 5.5 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1Electrically Controlled Systems and the Trainer51m
- 2Contactors, Relays, Overloads and Protection2h 41m
- 3Switches, Ladder Logic and Documentation2h 37m
- 4Manual Motor Starters38m
- 5Magnetic Starters: Two-Wire, Three-Wire and Hand-Off-Auto, with lab practice: 1h 46m
- 6Pumping Circuits and Control Panels, with lab practice: 1h 3m
- 7Jogging, Reversing and Interlocks, with lab practice: 1h 54m
- 8Braking: Plugging, Friction and DC Injection1h 12m
Show the other 4 modules
- 9Reduced-Voltage Starting and Soft Starters, with lab practice: 1h 38m
- 10Timers in Motor Control, with lab practice: 3h 37m
- 11Testing and Troubleshooting1h 0m
- 12Final Assessment
Practise in the 3D lab
Build the seal-in, interlock, timer and changeover logic you learn in relay circuits as ladder on working machines, then pass the lab's test.
- Motor start/stop with overloadPLC lab, about 45 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Motor start/stop with overload
- Forward/reverse conveyorPLC lab, about 60 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Forward/reverse conveyor
- Star-delta fan starterPLC lab, about 60 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Star-delta fan starter
- Duty and standby pumpsPLC lab, about 75 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Duty and standby pumps
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 12 hours
Five-machine starter panel for a furniture workshop: DOL, star-delta, two-speed and reversing in relay logic
Design, document and test-record a relay-logic starter panel for a furniture workshop's five machines. They are a DOL saw, a star-delta planer, a two-speed moulder, a star-delta extractor and a reversing sander feed. You deliver the motor list, the control circuits rung by rung, a device list with ratings, the panel layout, a completed test sheet and an operating note.
- 8documents in the pack
- 7steps to follow
- Laboptional: in the 3D lab
- 6things to hand in
- 12 hof work, at your pace
- Motor listMotor List: Workshop WS1 Starter Panel SP-01
- MCC scheduleStarter Schedule: Panel SP-01, Group by Group
- Wiring drawingsPower and Control Circuit Drawings: Sheet Index and Rungs
- Panel GAStarter Panel SP-01: General Arrangement
- BOMBill of Materials: Starter Panel SP-01
- Cable scheduleCable Schedule: Workshop WS1
Do it in the lab: 4 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.
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.
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: Jim Pytel, anthony poole, betechnical.ca, RealPars. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
Jim Pytel · anthony poole · betechnical.ca · RealPars. 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 a motor starter?
A motor starter is a switching device that starts and stops a motor and, with an overload relay, protects it from sustained overcurrent. The international product standard for them is IEC 60947-4-1, which the IEC describes as covering electromechanical contactors and motor-starters for circuits whose rated voltage does not exceed 1,000 V AC or 1,500 V DC. This course covers manual and magnetic starters, overloads, reduced-voltage starting and soft starters, and shows how each is wired and tested.
What jobs use motor control skills?
Electricians, maintenance technicians and controls engineers all use motor control, because starters, contactors and interlocks sit in almost every machine. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics lists repairing control systems and motors among electricians' duties and reports a median annual wage for electricians of $63,190 in May 2025. It also projects employment of electricians to grow 9 percent from 2025 to 2035. Motor control is also the groundwork for PLC programming, which is why this course comes before the PLC courses.
Should I take this before the PLC courses?
Yes. Every PLC output ends in a contactor, and every ladder program is this course in software.
Do I need a trainer board?
No, but the lectures wire one and following along on a bench is the fastest way to learn.
Which mains voltages does it use?
The lectures are North American; the notes translate them to 400/415 V three-phase (IEC) practice and the control voltages used outside North America.
Is the Industrial Motor Control 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 Industrial Motor Control 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 Industrial Motor Control course take?
Plan on about 25 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the twelve 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 Industrial Motor Control course cover, module by module?
The Industrial Motor Control course has 12 modules. It opens with "Electrically Controlled Systems and the Trainer", goes through "Contactors, Relays, Overloads and Protection", "Magnetic Starters: Two-Wire, Three-Wire and Hand-Off-Auto", "Braking: Plugging, Friction and DC Injection" and "Testing and Troubleshooting" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the Industrial Motor Control course?
After the Industrial Motor Control course: Select contactors, relays, overloads, fuses, breakers and transformers; Read and document motor control ladder diagrams; Wire manual and magnetic starters with two-wire, three-wire and HOA control. 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 Industrial Motor Control course, and does it cost anything?
For the Industrial Motor Control course, software: None required. Hardware: none required. A motor control trainer board with a contactor, overload and push buttons makes every wiring lesson real. The course itself is free.
Is the Industrial Motor Control course suitable for me, and what level is it?
Industrial Motor Control is rated beginner. Beginner. Basic electricity is enough; this course comes before PLCs. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in electrical design and panel building, and takes about 5.5 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the Industrial Motor Control course?
Skills from the Industrial Motor Control course (for example: select contactors, relays, overloads, fuses, breakers and transformers) are used in roles such as electrical design engineer, panel designer, electrical technician and maintenance engineer, and in electrical 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
Industrial Motor Control, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.