Condition monitoring 路 Free
Machinery Fault Diagnosis and Condition Monitoring
The layer that separates a data collector from a diagnostician: what the analyser is doing to your data, how to choose Fmax, lines of resolution and averaging for the fault you are actually hunting, how to read the time waveform, the orbit and the shaft centreline beside the spectrum, how to measure sideband spacing and name the shaft that is modulating, how to place a rolling element bearing on the four stages of failure, and how to write the condition report a planner can schedule a job from.
Inside the course
From the lessons
How vibration analysis finds a fault
Mobius Institute
Setting up the FFT analyser: filters, Fmax and resolution
Mobius Institute
Averaging: how many, how much overlap, when to hold the peak
Mobius Institute
What the spectrum hides: waveform, orbit and shaft centreline
Mobius Institute
Modulation and sidebands
Mobius Institute
Envelope, cepstrum and order analysis
nptelhrd
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
Set Fmax, lines of resolution and averaging for a stated fault and show the arithmetic; recognise a peak that is an artefact of the settings rather than a machine force; read a spectrum, a time waveform, an orbit and a shaft centreline together instead of one at a time; measure sideband spacing and name the shaft or component doing the modulating; identify a rolling element bearing defect, place it on the four stages and set the monitoring interval it justifies; and write a one page condition report that names the fault, the evidence and the action with a date.
- Choose Fmax, lines of resolution and averaging for the fault you are hunting, and show the arithmetic
- Spot a peak that is an artefact of the analyser settings rather than a real machine force
- Read the time waveform, the orbit and the shaft centreline alongside the spectrum
- Measure sideband spacing and name the shaft or component that is modulating the signal
- Identify a rolling element bearing defect and place it on the four stages of failure
- Write a condition report that names the fault, the evidence and the action with a date
For you
Taking Machinery Fault Diagnosis and Condition Monitoring 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$44.99. 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
Paper-machine dryer section: analyser settings, bearing and gear arithmetic, and a verified repair
Run a diagnosis campaign on the dryer section of a paper machine and the gearboxes that drive it: compute every forcing frequency from the drive train and the bearing geometry, choose Fmax, lines, averaging and window for each fault with the arithmetic shown, log the measurements, name each fault from spectrum, waveform and phase, write the FMEA and the corrective plan for the shut, and verify the repair honestly. You deliver your own procedure, forcing-frequency register, diagnosis report and verification record. The sample pack shows what a condition-monitoring contractor hands a mill.
Sample document pack, 7 documents, filled in for the scenario
- ProcedureMeasurement Procedure: Dryer Section and Sectional-Drive Gearboxes, PM-3
- RegisterMeasurement Point and Forcing-Frequency Register: Dryer Group 3 and Cylinders 12 to 22
- RegisterMeasurement Log: Campaign of 18 to 20-May-2026, Dryer Group 3
- FMEAFMEA: Dryer-Section Drive Train and Cylinder Bearings, PM-3
- ReportDiagnosis Report: Dryer Group 3 Gearbox and Cylinders 12 to 22, May 2026
- PlanCorrective Action Plan: June 2026 Shut, Dryer Group 3
- Test reportPost-Repair Verification: Dryer Group 3 Gearbox, Cylinder 14 and Felt Roll FR3-1, June 2026
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
10 modules 路 27 lessons 路 12h 30m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01How vibration analysis finds a fault1 lesson41m
- 02Setting up the FFT analyser: filters, Fmax and resolution5 lessons46m
- 03Averaging: how many, how much overlap, when to hold the peak4 lessons30m
- 04What the spectrum hides: waveform, orbit and shaft centreline3 lessons19m
- 05Modulation and sidebands1 lesson41m
- 06Envelope, cepstrum and order analysis3 lessons2h 36m
- 07Rolling element bearing faults2 lessons57m
- 08Fault signatures: unbalance, misalignment, cracked shaft and looseness4 lessons3h 35m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Advanced. Best after a basic vibration or maintenance course. You should already be comfortable reading a spectrum, working in mm/s and finding running speed from a nameplate.
- Software
- None required. A vibration analyser or data collector if your employer has one.
- Hardware
- None required. Access to one running machine, its nameplate and its bearing part numbers makes the practice tasks worth far more.
Software you need
Nothing to install
A vibration analyser or data collector helps if your employer has one.
Machinery Fault Diagnosis and Condition Monitoring at a glance
Machinery Fault Diagnosis and Condition Monitoring is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for maintenance and reliability engineers and technicians. It has 10 modules and 12h 30m of video lessons by Mobius Institute, nptelhrd, Turbo mass 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
- Maintenance and reliability engineers and technicians
- Format
- 10 self-paced modules, 12h 30m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Advanced. Advanced. Best after a basic vibration or maintenance course. You should already be comfortable reading a spectrum, working in mm/s and finding running speed from a nameplate.
- Brand
- Vendor-neutral
- Software
- None required. A vibration analyser or data collector if your employer has one.
- Hardware
- None required. Access to one running machine, its nameplate and its bearing part numbers makes the practice tasks worth far more.
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- Mobius Institute, nptelhrd, Turbo mass, Machinery Fault Diagnosis And Signal Processing (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.
Instrumentation 路 FreeInstrumentation for PLC EngineersThe half of the loop that is not code. Follow one measurement from the transmitter in the field, down the 4-20 mA loop, into the analog card, through NORM_X and SCALE_X into engineering units, out again to a valve, and back to the control room when the reading is wrong.More free courses: Free maintenance and reliability courses
Learner reviews
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Reviews here are written only by learners who have finished every module of Machinery Fault Diagnosis and Condition Monitoring, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.
Common questions
Who is the Machinery Fault Diagnosis and Condition Monitoring course for?
Maintenance, mechanical and reliability engineers, and condition monitoring technicians who already collect data on a route and want to stop handing the interpretation to somebody else. It assumes you have seen a spectrum before.
Do I need an analyser or any software?
No. Every module can be studied on a phone or a laptop, and the practice tasks are done with a nameplate, a bearing data sheet and a pen. If your employer has a data collector, run the practice tasks on a real machine and the course is worth several times more.
What should I know before I start?
Running speed, mm/s, and what a spectrum is. If those are new, do a basic vibration or maintenance course first. This one starts at the analyser setup and goes through to bearing damage and reporting.
Does this make me a certified vibration analyst?
No. Category certification under ISO 18436-2 is issued by training and examination bodies that run their own courses and their own exams, and EDWartens is not one of them and is not affiliated with any of them. Treat this course as preparation and background reading. What EDWartens issues is its own Certificate of Completion, and it is described as nothing more than that.
Does it cover oil analysis, thermography and motor current analysis?
No. The video lessons in this course are vibration based. Oil and wear debris analysis, thermography, ultrasound and motor current signature analysis are named in the notes as the other legs of a condition monitoring programme, but they are not taught here.
Is the Machinery Fault Diagnosis and Condition Monitoring course really free?
Yes. Every module, every practice task and every assessment. You create an account so that your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want one.
What certificate does the Machinery Fault Diagnosis and Condition Monitoring course give?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you have finished every module and passed the final at 60 per cent, 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 Machinery Fault Diagnosis and Condition Monitoring course?
Mobius Institute, on their own YouTube channel, and they are credited at the foot of this page. EDWartens did not make the videos, does not host or sell them, and is not affiliated with Mobius Institute. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
What you walk away with
Your certificate for Machinery Fault Diagnosis and Condition Monitoring
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$44.99, 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.
- Mobius Institutethe short technique lessons behind modules 2 to 4: analyser settings, filters and the FFT, spectral resolution and its limits, averaging, overlap percentage, peak hold, time waveform analysis, orbit plots and the shaft centreline diagram
- Mobius Institute webinarsthe long sessions the course is built around: the animated introduction to vibration analysis and its question and answer session, the modulation and sidebands session, and the bearing failure analysis session
- nptelhrd8 lessons in "Envelope, cepstrum and order analysis", "Fault signatures: unbalance, misalignment, cracked shaft and looseness" and "Phase, resonance, trending and the condition report"
- Turbo mass2 lessons in "Phase, resonance, trending and the condition report"
- Machinery Fault Diagnosis And Signal Processinga lesson in "Phase, resonance, trending and the condition report"
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.