PLC programming 路 Free
Mitsubishi GX Works3: MELSEC iQ-R and iQ-F
The current Mitsubishi platform: GX Works3, iQ-R and FX5U hardware, communication and setup, I/O and CC-Link cards, the ladder editor with labels, sequence basics with the GOT simulator, timers, counters, data moves, index registers, arithmetic, CC-Link IE Field, built-in functions, MELSOFT Navigator and Mitsubishi's e-learning.
Inside the course
From the lessons
GX Works3 and the iQ Platform
The Tech Guy
Digital and Analog I/O and CC-Link Cards
The Tech Guy
Sequence Basics with the RCPU and GOT Simulator
Automation Training
Data: MOV, BMOV, FMOV, Index Registers and Comparisons
The Tech Guy
CC-Link IE Field and Networking
The Tech Guy
MELSOFT Navigator and System Design
Automation Training
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
Create GX Works3 projects for iQ-R and iQ-F, configure modules and communication, program ladder with labels and comments, use timers, counters, MOV, BMOV, FMOV, index registers, comparisons and arithmetic, simulate with a GOT, set up CC-Link IE Field, use the high-speed counter and temperature control, and design systems in MELSOFT Navigator.
- Create and configure GX Works3 projects for iQ-R and FX5
- Communicate with, write to and diagnose a CPU
- Program ladder with labels, comments and the parts library
- Use timers, counters, data moves, index registers and arithmetic
- Set up CC-Link IE Field, the high-speed counter and temperature control
- Design systems in MELSOFT Navigator and program the GOT
For you
Taking Mitsubishi GX Works3: MELSEC iQ-R and iQ-F 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 18 hours
Dyeing jigger JG-3: recipe steps, temperature PID and labels on an FX5U
Design, program, test and document the control system for a fabric dyeing jigger: two reversing roller drives on FR-D740 inverters, an 8-step dye recipe engine written in structured text, trough temperature from a PT100 adapter with a PID loop on the steam valve, fill and drain, safety through a safety relay, and a GOT2000 screen. You deliver the GX Works3 project with labels, your own I/O list and FAT record, a loop tuning record and the operator note. The sample pack shows what an integrator hands over for the same jigger.
Sample document pack, 9 documents, filled in for the scenario
- Control narrativeControl Narrative: Dyeing Jigger JG-3
- Recipe / phase specRecipe and Step Logic Specification: JG-3
- I/O listI/O List: Panel CP-JG3
- Tag listGlobal Label List and Naming Convention
- BOMBill of Materials: Panel CP-JG3 and Field Devices
- Alarm listAlarm List: JG-3
- Loop tuning recordLoop Tuning Record: TIC-301 Trough Temperature
- FATFactory Acceptance Test Record: Panel CP-JG3
- O&M manualOperation and Maintenance Manual: JG-3 (Operation section)
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
14 modules 路 105 lessons 路 8h 47m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01GX Works3 and the iQ Platform6 lessons18m
- 02Working Environment, Communication and PLC Setup5 lessons37m
- 03Digital and Analog I/O and CC-Link Cards5 lessons23m
- 04Ladder Editing, Comments, Labels and the Parts Library7 lessons21m
- 05Sequence Basics with the RCPU and GOT Simulator8 lessons1h 4m
- 06Timers and Counters5 lessons1h 0m
- 07Data: MOV, BMOV, FMOV, Index Registers and Comparisons8 lessons1h 30m
- 08Arithmetic, Conversions, Strings, ST and Program Calls11 lessons51m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Beginner to intermediate. GX Works2 experience helps but is not needed.
- Software
- GX Works3 and GT Designer3 (trial or licensed) with the built-in simulators What to download, and how
- Hardware
- None required. An FX5U or iQ-R rack makes the hardware modules real.
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
- 01Trial on request
MELSOFT GX Works3 (with GT Works3 / GT Designer3)
Mitsubishi Electric
- Runs on
- Windows PC (check the operating environment in the vendor catalogue)
- Account
- A free Mitsubishi Electric FA website account for your region, plus a trial licence from Mitsubishi Electric or its local distributor
GX Works3 is paid software and the installer asks for a product ID. Mitsubishi Electric Americas says a free 30-day trial can be provided for its GX Works3 training classes; otherwise ask your regional Mitsubishi office or distributor for a trial licence.
Steps
- 1.Open the Mitsubishi Electric FA download page and choose your country or region.
- 2.Register for the regional FA website and sign in.
- 3.Ask your regional Mitsubishi Electric office or distributor for a GX Works3 trial product ID.
- 4.Download GX Works3 (and GT Works3 if you need GT Designer3 for GOT screens).
- 5.Install, enter the product ID, then use the built-in simulator to test your program.
- GX Works3 has an integrated simulator, so you can debug a program without PLC hardware.
- GX Works3 is for MELSEC iQ-R, iQ-F and MX controllers; older FX, L and Q series use GX Works2.
Official download pagemitsubishielectric.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.
Mitsubishi GX Works3: MELSEC iQ-R and iQ-F at a glance
Mitsubishi GX Works3: MELSEC iQ-R and iQ-F 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 14 modules and 8h 47m of video lessons by The Tech Guy, Automationliker, Automation Training 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
- 14 self-paced modules, 8h 47m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Beginner. Beginner to intermediate. GX Works2 experience helps but is not needed.
- Brand
- Mitsubishi Electric
- Software
- GX Works3 and GT Designer3 (trial or licensed) with the built-in simulators
- Hardware
- None required. An FX5U or iQ-R rack makes the hardware modules real.
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- The Tech Guy, Automationliker, Automation Training, Adroit Technologies (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 FreeMitsubishi FX with GX Works2The Mitsubishi FX family instruction by instruction: devices, contacts, timers, counters, data, analog and high-speed counting in GX Works2, with a look ahead to GX Works3.
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.More free courses: Free Mitsubishi PLC course 路 Free PLC programming courses
Learning paths with this course
- Japanese PLC platforms 路 4 coursesOmron Sysmac and CX-Programmer, Mitsubishi GX Works3 and GX Works2: the controllers inside many packaging, textile and automotive machines, especially in Asia.
Learner reviews
No reviews yet
Reviews here are written only by learners who have finished every module of Mitsubishi GX Works3: MELSEC iQ-R and iQ-F, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.
Common questions
GX Works2 or GX Works3?
GX Works3 for iQ-R and FX5; GX Works2 for Q, L and FX3. Both have free courses here.
Do I need a GOT?
No. GT Simulator3 runs the GOT screens on the PC linked to the PLC simulator.
Is the FX5U covered?
Yes: connection, built-in analog, high-speed counter, positioning, security and the quick-start programming series.
Is the Mitsubishi GX Works3: MELSEC iQ-R and iQ-F 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 Mitsubishi GX Works3: MELSEC iQ-R and iQ-F 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 Mitsubishi GX Works3: MELSEC iQ-R and iQ-F course take?
Plan on about 16 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.
What you walk away with
Your certificate for Mitsubishi GX Works3: MELSEC iQ-R and iQ-F
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.
- The Tech Guythe GX Works3 programming basics series
- Automationlikerthe GX Works3 RCPU with GOT2000 simulation series
- Automation Trainingthe Mitsubishi training playlist of e-learning, connection guides and Navigator lessons
- Adroit Technologiesa lesson in "iQ-R Hardware, Installation and Diagnostics"
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.