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PLC programming

Schneider Modicon PLC with EcoStruxure Machine Expert Basic

Learn ladder programming on the Schneider Modicon M221 in Machine Expert Basic, through more than fifty worked problems.

Schneider Modicon PLC with EcoStruxure Machine Expert Basic is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation. It has 18 modules and takes about 27.9 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
  • 27.9 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
EcoStruxure Machine Expert Basic (free from Schneider Electric) with its simulator. Hardware: none. The simulator runs every exercise.
Updated
Schneider Modicon PLC with EcoStruxure Machine Expert Basic course cover
Schneider Modicon PLC with EcoStruxure Machine Expert Basic course cover

After this course you can

By the end you will be able to:

  • Install Machine Expert Basic and create an M221 project
  • Build every logic gate in ladder
  • Use set, reset and latching coils
  • Program TON, TOF and TP timers
  • Count, compare and move values in worked applications

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. Every instruction is introduced through a worked example.

What you need

Software: EcoStruxure Machine Expert Basic (free from Schneider Electric) with its simulator.

Hardware: None. The 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

18 modules in order, at your own pace. 27.9 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.

  1. 1Schneider PLCs and Machine Expert Basic28m
  2. 2Logic Gates in Ladder1h 2m
  3. 3Switch-Based Programs1h 13m
  4. 4Set, Reset, Memory Bits and Latching, with lab practice: 58m
  5. 5Counters, Comparisons and Operation Blocks, with lab practice: 15m
  6. 6Boolean Expressions to Ladder1h 6m
  7. 7Digital Logic Circuits and Alarms43m
  8. 8Push-Button Programs and Forcing, with lab practice: 1h 24m
Show the other 10 modules
  1. 9Timers: TON, TOF and TP, with lab practice: 36m
  2. 10Timer Applications I, with lab practice: 1h 7m
  3. 11Timer Applications II52m
  4. 12Home and Machine Examples, with lab practice: 1h 0m
  5. 13Process and Site Examples1h 15m
  6. 14Longer Worked Problems I1h 52m
  7. 15Longer Worked Problems II, with lab practice: 2h 0m
  8. 16Longer Worked Problems III2h 20m
  9. 17Machine Expert Basic Tooling: Indexed Addressing, Shift Registers, Online Change, Modbus TCP and HMI27m
  10. 18Final 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

    EcoStruxure Machine Expert - Basic

    Schneider Electric

    Free
    Runs on
    Windows 10 or 11
    Account
    A free Schneider Electric (mySchneider) account

    Schneider lists Machine Expert Basic as a free licence for programming Modicon M221 controllers.

    Official download pagese.com

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 Machine Expert Basic on working machines in the PLC lab: latching, counters, timers and sequences, 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 16 hours

Solvent transfer skid: metered batch transfer on a Modicon M221 with Magelis HMI and Modbus TCP

Design, program, test and document the control panel for a paint depot's solvent transfer skid. It has two pumps, one duty and one standby, and a metered batch from a bulk tank to one of two day tanks. Level and flow come from 4-20 mA transmitters on a TM3AI4, with float switches as the hardware backup. You deliver the Machine Expert Basic project, your own I/O list and FAT record, and a hand-over note.

This project at a glance
  1. 8documents in the pack
  2. 9steps to follow
  3. 6things to hand in
  4. 16 hof work, at your pace
  • URSUser Requirements: Solvent Transfer Skid SK-1
  • FDSFunctional Design Specification: SK-1 Batch Transfer Control
  • I/O listI/O List: Panel CP-201
  • BOMBill of Materials: Panel CP-201 and Field Devices
  • Alarm listAlarm List: SK-1
  • FATFactory Acceptance Test Record: Panel CP-201

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 Schneider Modicon PLC with EcoStruxure Machine Expert Basic

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, Schneider Electric, Eight Min Automation. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.

Instrumentation Tools · Schneider Electric · Eight Min Automation. 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 to buy the software?

No. EcoStruxure Machine Expert Basic is a free download from Schneider Electric and includes a simulator that runs every exercise.

Which Schneider PLCs does this cover?

The Modicon M221 through Machine Expert Basic, including Modbus TCP on the M221. The M241, M251 and M262 use the full Machine Expert, and the M340 and M580 use Control Expert: both are different tools and not covered here.

Do I need a PLC?

No. The simulator stands in for it. The wiring and catalogue lessons prepare you for a real M221 when you meet one.

Why are there so many worked examples?

Because that is how ladder is learned. The source series solves one application per lesson, and the practice task asks you to solve it first and compare.

What computer do I need for the Schneider Modicon PLC course?

A 64-bit Windows 10 machine with 8 GB of RAM. Machine Expert Basic is Windows-only.

Is the Schneider Modicon PLC 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 Schneider Electric qualification?

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

Who made the video lessons in the Schneider Modicon PLC 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 Schneider Modicon PLC course cover, module by module?

The Schneider Modicon PLC course has 18 modules. It opens with "Schneider PLCs and Machine Expert Basic", goes through "Logic Gates in Ladder", "Digital Logic Circuits and Alarms", "Home and Machine Examples" and "Machine Expert Basic Tooling: Indexed Addressing, Shift Registers, Online Change, Modbus TCP and HMI" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.

What can I do after the Schneider Modicon PLC course?

After the Schneider Modicon PLC course: Install Machine Expert Basic and pick the M221 from the controller catalogue; Build AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR and XNOR in ladder and prove them with truth tables; Latch with a seal-in or set/reset and know which one restarts after a power cut. 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 Schneider Modicon PLC course, and does it cost anything?

For the Schneider Modicon PLC course, software: EcoStruxure Machine Expert Basic (free from Schneider Electric) with its simulator. Hardware: none. The simulator runs every exercise. The course itself is free.

Is the Schneider Modicon PLC course suitable for me, and what level is it?

Schneider Modicon PLC is rated beginner. Absolute beginner. Every instruction is introduced through a worked example. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation, and takes about 27.9 hours at your own pace.

Which jobs use the skills from the Schneider Modicon PLC course?

Skills from the Schneider Modicon PLC course (for example: install Machine Expert Basic and pick the M221 from the controller catalogue) 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

Schneider Modicon PLC with EcoStruxure Machine Expert Basic, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.