DCS · Free

Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 DCS

Siemens' process control system as refineries, chemical and power plants run it: components and buses, AS and OS configuration, the multi-project, CFC and run-time groups, STEP 7 blocks inside PCS 7, the MotL block and interlocks, custom logic, OS alarms, trends, logging and users, reusable charts, PID and voting, SFC sequences and control templates, and full projects from tank station to compressor anti-surge.

15 modules 27h 47m of video English · self-paced

Inside the course

Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 DCS: Syllabus at a glance

Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 DCS: What you will be able to do

Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 DCS: Tools and credits

From the lessons

PCS 7 and Its Components
Instrumentation Tools
Creating a Project and Channel Drivers
Control System Guru
STEP 7 Inside PCS 7: Memory, Addressing, Analog and Timers
Taskcoaz
Organisation Blocks and Time-Driven OBs
Taskcoaz
Interlocks and Protection with MotL
Control System Guru
OS: Alarms, Trends, Logging and Users
Control System Guru

Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.

What you will learn

Explain PCS 7 architecture, configure AS and OS in a multi-project, build CFC charts with run-time groups, use STEP 7 FCs, FBs, DBs and OBs inside PCS 7, drive motors and valves with MotL and interlock blocks, write custom FB and SCL logic, configure OS alarms, trends, logging and users, build reusable charts, PID and SFC sequences, and deliver a complete project.

Explain PCS 7 architecture, stations and buses
Configure AS, OS and the multi-project
Build CFC charts with run-time groups and STEP 7 blocks
Drive motors with MotL, interlocks and custom logic
Configure OS alarms, trends, logging and users
Build SFC sequences, PID, voting and complete projects

For you

Taking Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 DCS 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$28.99. What you get for it
Siemens is one of the automation brands most widely installed across the Americas, so this is a skill plants and integrators near you ask for.
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 · about 20 hours

Edible-oil deodoriser on PCS 7: redundant AS 410, APL typicals in CFC, an SFC start-up and a redundancy FAT

Design, configure, test and document the PCS 7 control of a 400 t/day continuous deodoriser: a redundant AS 410-5H with ET 200M I/O, CFC charts built from APL typicals (MonAnL, PIDConL, MotL, VlvL, VlvAnL, the interlock blocks), a 2oo3 voter chart on the critical temperature, an SFC that pulls vacuum, heats and admits feed in the right order, a rationalised alarm list on the OS and the ISA-101 displays. You deliver the multi-project, your own I/O list, narrative and FAT record with redundancy tests. The sample pack shows what a Siemens Solution Partner hands an oil refinery.

Sample document pack, 9 documents, filled in for the scenario

Network architectureSystem and Network Architecture: DEO-1 PCS 7 System
HDSHardware Design Specification: AS 410-5H, ET 200M Allocation and Loading
Control narrativeControl Narrative: Deodoriser DEO-1
SDSSoftware Design Specification: CFC/SFC Structure and APL Block Typicals
I/O listI/O List: ET 200M Station ET01, Marshalling Cabinet MC-DEO-1
Alarm philosophyAlarm Philosophy: SEO Mombasa Refinery (applied to DEO-1)
Alarm listAlarm List / Master Alarm Database: DEO-1
HMI specOS Display Hierarchy and Display Specification: DEO-1
FATFactory Acceptance Test Record: DEO-1 PCS 7 System

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

15 modules · 112 lessons · 27h 47m

In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.

01PCS 7 and Its Components6 lessons1h 31m
02Hardware, AS and OS Configuration and the Multi-Project10 lessons1h 54m
03Creating a Project and Channel Drivers5 lessons4h 16m
04CFC: Function Blocks, Interconnections and Run-Time Groups11 lessons1h 36m
05STEP 7 Inside PCS 7: Memory, Addressing, Analog and Timers11 lessons2h 10m
06Functions, Function Blocks, Data Blocks and UDTs13 lessons2h 9m
07Organisation Blocks and Time-Driven OBs6 lessons47m
08The MotL and VlvL Blocks: Local, Automatic and Selector Control5 lessons1h 48m
09Interlocks and Protection with MotL2 lessons49m
10Custom Logic, Parameter View, Permissions and Features6 lessons1h 59m
11OS: Alarms, Trends, Logging and Users7 lessons1h 43m
12Reusable Charts, Voting, PID and Calculations in CFC8 lessons1h 41m
13SFC Sequences and Control Templates7 lessons2h 6m
14Projects: Tank Station, Chiller, Compressor, Desalination14 lessons3h 17m
15Final Assessment1 lesson8m

Show all 15 modules

Requirements

Who it is for: Intermediate. STEP 7 or TIA Portal basics assumed; the free S7-300 course is the ideal preparation.
Software: SIMATIC PCS 7 is licensed engineering software with no public download. Use a licence at work or college, or do every practice task on paper; the videos show each step 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

01
SIMATIC PCS 7 and SIMATIC PCS neo
Siemens
Licensed systems only
Runs on
Windows (see Siemens system requirements for your licensed version)
Account
Obtained through Siemens or an employer; no public self-service download
Siemens does not offer a public trial download of PCS 7 or PCS neo. Both are process control systems sold through Siemens for plant projects. PCS neo in the Cloud is pay-per-use: you create a free prepaid tenant and then buy credit packages.
Show the 4 stepsHide the steps
Steps
1. 1.Read the SIMATIC PCS 7 product page to understand the system.
2. 2.If your employer runs PCS 7 or PCS neo, ask for access to an engineering station or a training licence.
3. 3.Otherwise, book a Siemens SITRAIN course, where the software is provided.
4. 4.If you study at a college or university, ask whether it takes part in Siemens SCE (Siemens Automation Cooperates with Education).
- You can practise the AS side (S7 CPUs and function blocks) with the free TIA Portal V21 trial and PLCSIM before moving to PCS 7.
Siemens product pagesiemens.com
Legitimate free routes
- Siemens SITRAIN training: Official Siemens training courses for PCS 7 and PCS neo.
- Siemens SCE for educational institutions: Siemens programme for schools, colleges and universities.
- SIMATIC PCS neo in the Cloud: Pay-per-use cloud engineering: free tenant, but you must buy credits. Not free.
- STEP 7 and WinCC V21 trial: Free 21-day trial to learn S7 programming, which PCS 7 builds on.

Optional

Useful, not needed to finish the course.

02
S7-PLCSIM V21 (TIA Portal) Trial
Siemens
Free trial: 21 days
Runs on
Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise 64-bit (24H2), Windows 10 Enterprise 2021 LTSC, or Windows Server 2022/2025. Windows 11 Home is supported only for the Basic editions.
Account
A free Siemens account registered for Industry Online Support (SiePortal)
Size
about 2.5 GB (ISO)
S7-PLCSIM V21 is offered as a 21-day trial on the same Siemens page as the STEP 7 and WinCC V21 trial. It needs STEP 7 V21 installed on the same PC.
Show the 5 stepsHide the steps
Steps
1. 1.Open the Siemens STEP 7 and WinCC V21 trial page (entry 109989774) and sign in.
2. 2.Install STEP 7 V21 from the main TIA Portal ISO first.
3. 3.Download S7-PLCSIM_V21.iso (2.5 GB) from the section Download S7-PLCSIM Standard V21.
4. 4.Mount the ISO, run Start.exe as administrator and follow the setup.
5. 5.In TIA Portal, select your CPU and click Start simulation to open PLCSIM.
- Siemens notes that the PLCSIM Standard V21 installation also includes S7-PLCSIM Advanced V8.0.
Official download pagesupport.industry.siemens.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.

Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 DCS at a glance

Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 DCS is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, ITI and diploma holders, and working engineers in process control. It has 15 modules and 27h 47m of video lessons by Instrumentation Tools, Control System Guru, Taskcoaz 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 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 process control
Format: 15 self-paced modules, 27h 47m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
Level: Intermediate. Intermediate. STEP 7 or TIA Portal basics assumed; the free S7-300 course is the ideal preparation.
Brand: Siemens
Software: SIMATIC PCS 7 is licensed engineering software with no public download. Use a licence at work or college, or do every practice task on paper; the videos show each step
Hardware: None required.
Certificate: Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
Video lessons by: Instrumentation Tools, Control System Guru, Taskcoaz, PLC Tutor, juanpa (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.

Add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
Link it from a CV or portfolio, the URL is permanent
Publicly verifiable by code, not a PDF anyone can edit
Issued by EDWartens itself, not a third party

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.

Questions answered in the context of the module you are on
The same engineers who teach the AEP programme
Career tools, CV help and public job listings included
Your progress and notes stay in your account for good

Pairs well with

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Siemens TIA Portal in Three Hours free course cover

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TIA Portal: Build a Machine free course cover

PLC programming · 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.

Siemens S7-1200 with TIA Portal: The Tutorial Series free course cover

PLC programming · 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 Siemens PLC courses · Free DCS courses

Learner reviews

No reviews yet

Reviews here are written only by learners who have finished every module of Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 DCS, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.

Common questions

Do I need PCS 7 installed?

No. PCS 7 is licensed software Siemens does not offer as a public download, so every practice task has a paper route and the videos show each step on a real system. If your workplace or college has a licence, use it; the concepts transfer to any PCS 7 version from 8 to 9.1.

Is this the same as the S7-1500 course?

No. PCS 7 is the DCS layer on top of STEP 7: charts, libraries, OS and plant hierarchy. Take the S7-300 course first if STEP 7 is new.

Where is PCS 7 used?

Refineries, fertiliser, petrochemicals, cement, power and pharma, usually with Siemens as the DCS vendor.

Is the Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 DCS 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 Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 DCS 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 Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 DCS course take?

Plan on about 35 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the fifteen modules at your own speed.

What you walk away with

Your certificate for Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 DCS

Finish the course, pass the final, and this is the document with your name on it.

Sample EDWartens Certificate of Completion for Siemens SIMATIC PCS 7 DCS — Sample. The issued certificate carries your name, admission number, a unique certificate number and its own QR code.

Verifiable by anyone
A unique certificate number and a public verification page. A recruiter checks it in ten seconds.
Adds to LinkedIn in one click
Issuer, credential ID and URL prefilled, with 5 matching skills to pin to your profile.
QR code on the certificate
Scans straight to the verification page, so a printed copy proves itself.
Names what you can do
Lists the topics covered, from pcs 7 architecture, buses and multi-project configuration to reusable charts, pid, sfc, control templates and projects.
A permanent link
Put it on a CV, a portfolio or an application. The URL never changes.
Earned, not attended
Issued only after every module and a final assessment at 60%, with 3 attempts. That is why it stands up.

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$28.99, 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.

Instrumentation Toolsthe Siemens PCS 7 training course
Control System Guruthe SIMATIC PCS 7 v9.1 tutorial series
Taskcoazthe Siemens DCS PCS 7 English lessons
PLC Tutorthe PCS 7 project tutorials
PLC Tutorthe SIMATIC CFC series
juanpathe PCS 7 introduction and beginner's guide

If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.