PLC programming 路 Free
KEYENCE KV Series PLC with KV STUDIO
The Japanese PLC inside inspection, packaging and electronics machines: KV STUDIO from addressing and ladder entry to timers, counters, data instructions, debugging by rewinding time, structured text, VT STUDIO HMI, analog, PROTOCOL STUDIO, Modbus RTU drives, EtherNet/IP, servo and stepper control and PC integration.
Inside the course
From the lessons
KV Series and KV STUDIO
KEYENCE CORPORATION
Device Addressing and Entering Ladder
Najma Hayati
Basic Logic: Holding, SET/RESET, KEEP, MC, Pulses, ALT, Shot
Automationliker
Timers and Counters
Automationliker
Data Instructions and Arithmetic
Automationliker
Transfer, Monitoring and Debugging
KEYENCE CORPORATION
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
Know the KV series and KV STUDIO, address devices and enter ladder, use holding, SET/RESET, KEEP, master control, pulses and ALT, timers and counters, data instructions and arithmetic, transfer, monitor and debug by rewinding time, write structured text, build VT STUDIO screens, scale analog, communicate through PROTOCOL STUDIO, Modbus RTU and EtherNet/IP, control servos and steppers, and integrate with HMIs and PC software.
- Know KV STUDIO modes, scan execution and the Unit Editor
- Address devices and enter ladder with variables
- Use holding, SET/RESET, KEEP, MC/MCR, pulses, ALT and Shot
- Use TMR, TMH, TMS, TMU, FLIK, ONDL, OFDL, UDT and counters
- Use MOV, BMOV, FMOV, INC/DEC, arithmetic, float, CMP, RTC, shift, FIFO and LIFO
- Transfer, monitor, chart and debug by rewinding time; write ST; build VT STUDIO screens
- Scale analog; use PROTOCOL STUDIO, Modbus RTU and EtherNet/IP; control servos and steppers; integrate with HMIs and PCs
For you
Taking KEYENCE KV Series PLC with KV STUDIO 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 20 hours
Inspection and laser-marking station LM-1: index table tracking, vision handshake and DataMatrix marking on a KV-8000
Design, program, test and document the control system for an eight-pocket rotary index station that inspects a die-cast steering bracket with a KEYENCE vision system, marks it with a DataMatrix code on a laser marker, reads the code back and sorts OK from NG: a KV-8000 with KV-B16XC / KV-B16TC I/O and a KV-SC20V counting the table encoder, a shift register carrying each pocket's status, hardwired handshakes with the CV-X vision and the MD-X marker, the marking string built in structured text and sent over Ethernet, a light curtain and a class-1 laser enclosure through a safety relay, and a VT5 screen. You deliver the KV STUDIO project, your own I/O list, handshake table and FAT record, and the operator note. The sample pack shows what a cell integrator hands over for the same station.
Sample document pack, 8 documents, filled in for the scenario
- FDSFunctional Design Specification: Inspection and Marking Station LM-1
- I/O listI/O List: Panel CP-LM1
- I/O handshakeI/O Handshake Table: PLC to Vision, Marker and Reader
- Interlock listInterlock and Permissive List: LM-1
- BOMBill of Materials: Panel CP-LM1 and Station Devices
- Alarm listAlarm List: LM-1
- HMI specHMI Screen Specification: VT5-W07 on LM-1
- FATFactory Acceptance Test Record: Panel CP-LM1 and Station LM-1
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
12 modules 路 86 lessons 路 11h 42m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01KV Series and KV STUDIO5 lessons33m
- 02Device Addressing and Entering Ladder6 lessons1h 8m
- 03Basic Logic: Holding, SET/RESET, KEEP, MC, Pulses, ALT, Shot8 lessons1h 10m
- 04Timers and Counters9 lessons1h 13m
- 05Data Instructions and Arithmetic14 lessons1h 54m
- 06Transfer, Monitoring and Debugging9 lessons39m
- 07Structured Text and VT STUDIO HMI4 lessons28m
- 08Analog Input and Scaling2 lessons17m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Beginner. No PLC experience needed.
- Software
- KV STUDIO and VT STUDIO (from KEYENCE; simulation built in) What to download, and how
- Hardware
- None required.
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.
Required
- 01Free trial version
KV STUDIO (and VT STUDIO)
KEYENCE
- Runs on
- Windows 10 or 11
- Account
- A KEYENCE website account (register with a business email)
- Size
- about 3.7 GB, split into 4 files
KEYENCE publishes a trial version of KV STUDIO on its KV Series support pages. The page does not state the trial limits, so check them in the software; the full version is sold by KEYENCE.
Steps
- 1.Open the KV Series Trial Version page on keyence.com.
- 2.Click Download all split files and register or sign in to KEYENCE.
- 3.Download all four parts to the same folder.
- 4.Run the .exe part to merge the files, then run the installer.
- 5.For HMI screens, get the VT STUDIO trial from the VT Series trial page.
- Keep all four split files in one folder before merging.
Official download pagekeyence.comAlternatives
- CODESYS Development System: Free IEC 61131-3 programming tool with a SoftPLC that runs in 2-hour demo sessions.
- OpenPLC Editor: Free, open-source PLC editor for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
KEYENCE KV Series PLC with KV STUDIO at a glance
KEYENCE KV Series PLC with KV STUDIO is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, ITI and diploma holders, and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation. It has 12 modules and 11h 42m of video lessons by KEYENCE Corporation, Automationliker, plc247 Automation and others, 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, ITI and diploma holders, and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation
- Format
- 12 self-paced modules, 11h 42m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Beginner. Beginner. No PLC experience needed.
- Brand
- Vendor-neutral
- Software
- KV STUDIO and VT STUDIO (from KEYENCE; simulation built in)
- Hardware
- None required.
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- KEYENCE Corporation, Automationliker, plc247 Automation, Najma Hayati (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
PLC programming 路 FreeSiemens TIA PortalFrom zero electrical knowledge to a working, simulated S7-1200 program, for nothing.
PLC 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.
PLC 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.
PLC programming 路 FreeSiemens S7-1200 with TIA Portal: The Tutorial SeriesEvery S7-1200 instruction, one short video at a time: bits, edges, timers, counters, comparators, maths, MOVE, conversion, analog scaling, jumps and shift registers.More free courses: Free PLC programming courses
Learner reviews
No reviews yet
Reviews here are written only by learners who have finished every module of KEYENCE KV Series PLC with KV STUDIO, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.
Common questions
Is KV STUDIO free?
KEYENCE provides KV STUDIO and VT STUDIO through its sales channel; both include simulation, so the course runs without hardware.
Where is KEYENCE used?
In electronics, pharma packaging, inspection and vision-heavy lines, often alongside KEYENCE sensors and vision systems on EtherNet/IP.
Are the instruction tutorials narrated?
Several are on-screen demonstrations with English captions and simulation rather than voice; the notes explain each instruction.
Is the KEYENCE KV Series PLC with KV STUDIO 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 KEYENCE qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a KEYENCE credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons in the KEYENCE KV Series PLC with KV STUDIO 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 KEYENCE KV Series PLC with KV STUDIO course take?
Plan on about 18 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.
What you walk away with
Your certificate for KEYENCE KV Series PLC with KV STUDIO
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 EDWartens, the training division of Wartens, as a Certificate of Completion for this self-paced course. Sold by Wartens Ltd (England and Wales). 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.
- KEYENCE Corporationthe official KV series PLC tutorials
- Automationlikerthe KV STUDIO instruction tutorials with simulation
- plc247 Automationthe KEYENCE communication, motion and integration tutorials
- Najma Hayatithe KEYENCE introduction and bottle-washing project
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.