NewFree internships, no fees

PLC programming

Omron PLC with CX-Programmer

Learn Omron PLC programming from zero in CX-Programmer, from what a PLC is to ladder, timers, counters and worked programs.

Omron PLC with CX-Programmer is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation. It has 16 modules and takes about 17.6 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
  • 17.6 hours
  • Self-paced
  • Certificate optional
  • Lab practice in your browser
See what you learn

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 automation, electrical and instrumentation
Jobs
Roles that use this skill: PLC programmer, controls engineer, automation technician and commissioning engineer. No course guarantees a job.
Tools
CX-Programmer (part of CX-One; trial from Omron) with CX-Simulator. Hardware: none. CX-Simulator runs every exercise.
Updated
Omron PLC with CX-Programmer course cover
Omron PLC with CX-Programmer course cover

After this course you can

By the end you will be able to:

  • Explain what a control system and a PLC do
  • Install CX-Programmer and create a project
  • Write ladder with KEEP, SET/RSET, interlocks, timers and counters
  • Do arithmetic, comparisons and data moves
  • Scale an analog input and solve classic worked problems

Who it is for, and what you need first

Who it is for

Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation.

Level: Beginner. Absolute beginner. The first module explains what industrial automation is.

What you need

Software: CX-Programmer (part of CX-One; trial from Omron) with CX-Simulator.

Hardware: None. CX-Simulator runs every exercise.. What to download, and how.

How this course works

  1. Watch the lessons

    Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.

  2. Read the notes

    Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.

  3. Practise in the 3D labOptional

    Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.

  4. Check yourself

    Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.

  5. Final assessment

    Pass the final once you have been through the modules.

  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptional

    Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.

What you learn

16 modules in order, at your own pace. 17.6 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.

  1. 1Automation, Control Systems and the PLC50m
  2. 2Omron PLCs and CX-Programmer31m
  3. 3Data Types, Addressing and Operating Modes18m
  4. 4First Project and the Simulator, with lab practice: 11m
  5. 5Bit Logic and Logic Gates49m
  6. 6Latching, Set/Reset, KEEP and Edges, with lab practice: 41m
  7. 7Interlocks: IL and ILC, with lab practice: 13m
  8. 8Timers: TIM, TIMX, TIMH, TMHH and TTIM, with lab practice: 43m
Show the other 8 modules
  1. 9Counters: CNT, CNTR and Reset, with lab practice: 28m
  2. 10Arithmetic and Comparison, with lab practice: 1h 11m
  3. 11Move, Block Set, Data Exchange and Transfer, with lab practice: 39m
  4. 12Shift Registers, Rotate and Increment56m
  5. 13Jumps, Subroutines and Number Conversion, with lab practice: 34m
  6. 14Analog Input Scaling, with lab practice: 19m
  7. 15Worked Programs: Conveyor, Car Park, Sprinkler, Tank and More, with lab practice: 1h 44m
  8. 16Final 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

  1. 01

    CX-One (CX-Programmer, CX-Simulator)

    Omron

    Free trial: 30 days
    Runs on
    Windows 7, 8.1, 10 or 11 (Windows 11 is 64-bit only)
    Account
    Registration with Omron through the trial download form (name, email, company, country)
    Size
    about 2.7 GB download (CX-One v4.61 trial ZIP)

    Omron sends a download link and a licence key for a 30-day trial after you register. CX-One includes CX-Programmer and CX-Simulator; after the trial you need to buy a licence.

    Official download pageindustrial.omron.eu

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

Practise the same ladder logic you write in CX-Programmer on working machines in the PLC lab: latching, interlocks, timers and counters, then pass each lab test.

Build a ladder rungWatch

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Course project, about 12 hours

Tunnel oven line OV-1: zone control, start-up sequence and a test record on a CP1L

Design, program, test and document the control for a three-zone electric tunnel oven and its wire-mesh band on a CP1L-M40, all tested in CX-Simulator. The start-up sequence purges, runs the band and brings the zones up in a stagger, and each zone is held at its setpoint with on-off control. You deliver a control philosophy, your own I/O list, the CX-Programmer project, a test record and an operator note.

This project at a glance
  1. 7documents in the pack
  2. 9steps to follow
  3. 5things to hand in
  4. 12 hof work, at your pace
  • FDSFunctional Design Specification: Tunnel Oven OV-1 Control System
  • I/O listI/O List: Panel CP-201
  • Tag listPLC Symbol List and Naming Convention
  • Alarm listAlarm List: Oven OV-1
  • FATFactory Acceptance Test Record: Panel CP-201
  • O&M manualOperation and Maintenance Manual: Oven OV-1 (Operation section)

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.

Sample EDWartens Certificate of Completion for Omron PLC with CX-Programmer

Sample. The issued certificate carries your name, your final score, a certificate ID and a QR code that opens its verification page.

Optional

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.

An engineer in a hard hat checking neat, labelled wiring on I/O racks inside an open control cabinet.
Free · 4 weeks · free certificate

PLC Programming

Eight short weeks of PLC ladder logic on free simulators: notes, diagrams, a few videos and auto-tested tasks. 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 internship

Part of a learning path

Courses in a planned order, so each one builds on the last.

More free courses

Roles that use this skill

  • PLC programmer
  • Controls engineer
  • Automation technician
  • Commissioning 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: Instrumentation Tools. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.

Instrumentation Tools. 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.

See the 3D lab
  • 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

Do I need CX-Programmer?

For the exercises, yes. It ships in CX-One, for which Omron offers a trial. CX-Simulator, included, runs every exercise without a PLC.

Do I need an Omron PLC?

No. CX-Simulator stands in for it throughout.

Which Omron PLCs does this cover?

The instruction set is common to the CP1, CJ1 and CJ2 families, which is most of the Omron installed base. Sysmac Studio and the NJ/NX series are a different tool and not covered here.

Some lessons in the source series are members-only. Are they in the course?

No. Four members-only lessons were deliberately left out so you never hit a paywall. Their topics are covered by the public lessons that remain.

What computer do I need for the Omron PLC with CX-Programmer course?

A 64-bit Windows 10 machine with 8 GB of RAM. CX-One is Windows-only.

Is the Omron PLC with CX-Programmer 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 an Omron qualification?

An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not an Omron credential and is never described as one.

Who made the video lessons in the Omron PLC with CX-Programmer 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.

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 Omron PLC with CX-Programmer course cover, module by module?

The Omron PLC with CX-Programmer course has 16 modules. It opens with "Automation, Control Systems and the PLC", goes through "Omron PLCs and CX-Programmer", "Latching, Set/Reset, KEEP and Edges", "Move, Block Set, Data Exchange and Transfer" and "Worked Programs: Conveyor, Car Park, Sprinkler, Tank and More" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.

What can I do after the Omron PLC with CX-Programmer course?

After the Omron PLC with CX-Programmer course: Explain automation, control systems and the PLC from scratch; Use Omron addressing: CIO, W, H, D, T, C and bit-of-word notation; Latch with a seal-in, SET/RSET or KEEP, and know which input dominates. 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 Omron PLC with CX-Programmer course, and does it cost anything?

For the Omron PLC with CX-Programmer course, software: CX-Programmer (part of CX-One; trial from Omron) with CX-Simulator. Hardware: none. CX-Simulator runs every exercise. The course itself is free.

Is the Omron PLC with CX-Programmer course suitable for me, and what level is it?

Omron PLC with CX-Programmer is rated beginner. Absolute beginner. The first module explains what industrial automation is. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation, and takes about 17.6 hours at your own pace.

Which jobs use the skills from the Omron PLC with CX-Programmer course?

Skills from the Omron PLC with CX-Programmer course (for example: explain automation, control systems and the PLC from scratch) are used in roles such as PLC programmer, controls engineer, automation technician and commissioning engineer, and in automation 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

Omron PLC with CX-Programmer, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.