PLC programming 路 Free
Siemens S7-300 with STEP 7
The classic Siemens PLC, from an empty SIMATIC Manager project to a commissioned, diagnosed, running machine.
Inside the course
From the lessons
Meet the S7-300 and SIMATIC Manager
plcgoods
Bit Logic: Contacts, Coils, Set and Reset
plcgoods
Simulation: PLCSIM and Factory I/O
plcgoods
Counters
plcgoods
Symbols, Comments, Consistency and Cross-references
The AutomationCentral
Projects: Production Line and Mixer
plcgoods
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
Configure an S7-300 rack in HW Config, write ladder logic with contacts, coils, edges, timers, counters, comparators and arithmetic, structure a program into OBs, FCs, FBs and DBs, scale analog signals and close a PID loop, build the production-line, mixer and elevator projects, read STL, go online, back up to a memory card, and read the diagnostic buffer to find why a CPU stopped.
- Build an S7-300 rack in HW Config and read the addresses it assigns
- Write ladder with contacts, coils, Set/Reset, edges and flip-flops that behave safely
- Use S7 and IEC timers and counters, and know which one a problem needs
- Structure a program into OB1, FCs, FBs and data blocks, one motor block for twelve motors
- Scale a 4-20 mA signal with SCALE and UNSCALE, and close a PID loop
- Read STL written by someone else without guessing
- Go online over MPI, PROFIBUS or Ethernet, download, upload and compare
- Read the diagnostic buffer and say why the CPU stopped
For you
Taking Siemens S7-300 with STEP 7 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
- 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 路 about 16 hours
Keeping a 2008 cement packer alive: recover the S7-300 program, add a fifth spout under a DCN, and write the migration case
Take over an undocumented CPU 315-2 DP program on a four-spout cement packer, recover its symbol table, block list and sequence from cross-references and STL, then add a fifth spout under a design change notice and prove nothing else changed with a regression test record. You deliver the recovered documentation, your own I/O list, the DCN, the test record and a migration assessment report. The sample pack shows what a maintenance contractor hands over on a brownfield job.
Sample document pack, 9 documents, filled in for the scenario
- SDSRecovered Software Design Specification: Packer PK-2, CPU 315-2 DP
- I/O listI/O List: Packer PK-2 (recovered, with spout 5 addition)
- Tag listRecovered Symbol Table
- Control narrativeRecovered Control Narrative: Packer PK-2 Fill Cycle
- Change noticeDesign Change Notice: Fifth Bagging Spout on PK-2
- BOMBill of Materials: Spout 5 Addition and Station Spares
- SATRegression and Site Acceptance Test Record: PK-2 with Spout 5
- O&M manualO&M Manual: PK-2 Control (Diagnostics and Recovery section)
- ReportMigration Assessment: PK-2 S7-300 Station
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
22 modules 路 107 lessons 路 13h 6m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01Meet the S7-300 and SIMATIC Manager4 lessons32m
- 02Hardware Configuration in HW Config6 lessons30m
- 03Inside the CPU: Memory Areas and Properties6 lessons27m
- 04Bit Logic: Contacts, Coils, Set and Reset6 lessons1h 1m
- 05Latching, Edges and Flip-flops4 lessons38m
- 06Motor Control: Direction, Star-Delta and Interlocks3 lessons33m
- 07Simulation: PLCSIM and Factory I/O3 lessons35m
- 08S7 Timers: S_PULSE, S_ODT, S_OFFDT and Friends7 lessons41m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Beginner. No prior PLC knowledge assumed: the first three modules start from what a PLC is and what the rack looks like.
- Software
- STEP 7 V5.7 (SIMATIC Manager): Siemens offers registered users a 21-day trial, on Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise; S7-PLCSIM V5.x for simulation (a separate Siemens product); optional Factory I/O (30-day trial) for the simulated-plant modules What to download, and how
- Hardware
- None. Every exercise runs in S7-PLCSIM.
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.
Factory I/O is only for the simulated-plant modules.
Required
- 01Free trial: 21 days
SIMATIC STEP 7 V5.7 SP4 Trial (SIMATIC Manager)
Siemens
- Runs on
- Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise 64-bit, or Windows Server 2019/2022/2025
- Account
- A free Siemens account registered for Industry Online Support (SiePortal), cleared for export-restricted downloads
- Size
- about 2.3 GB (ISO)
Siemens offers a separate STEP 7 V5.7 SP4 trial that registered users can test for 21 days. It is not part of the TIA Portal trial. After the trial you need a STEP 7 V5.7 licence.
Steps
- 1.Open the STEP 7 V5.7 SP4 trial page (entry 109991080) and sign in.
- 2.If asked, complete the export-control details on your account and wait for approval.
- 3.Download SIMATIC_STEP7_V57_SP4.iso (2.3 GB).
- 4.Mount the ISO and run the setup as administrator.
- 5.Follow the setup, accept the licence terms and restart the PC when asked.
- 6.Open SIMATIC Manager and create a new S7-300 or S7-400 project.
- Siemens warns that registration for export-restricted downloads can take some time, so request access early.
- Windows 10 is not in the supported list for V5.7 SP4; use Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise.
Official download pagesupport.industry.siemens.com
Optional
Useful, not needed to finish the course.
- 02Free trial: 30 days
Factory I/O
Real Games
- Runs on
- Windows 7 SP1 or newer, with a graphics card from 2006 (NVIDIA, AMD) or 2012 (Intel) onwards
- Account
- Your name and email on the Factory I/O trial form
The 30-day trial includes the full Ultimate Edition. After that you need a paid edition; the Siemens, Allen-Bradley, Modbus and OPC, MHJ, Automgen and Starter editions each support different PLCs.
Steps
- 1.Open the Factory I/O start trial page.
- 2.Enter your name and email and start the trial.
- 3.Download and install Factory I/O.
- 4.Open a sample scene and connect it to your PLC or PLC simulator.
- 5.Before the trial ends, choose the edition that matches your PLC.
- Choose the edition by the PLC you will use: for example the Siemens edition works with S7-PLCSIM.
- The Starter edition has its own built-in PLC simulator if you have no PLC software.
Official download pagefactoryio.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 S7-300 with STEP 7 at a glance
Siemens S7-300 with STEP 7 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 22 modules and 13h 6m of video lessons by plcgoods, The AutomationCentral, Control System Guru 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
- 22 self-paced modules, 13h 6m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Beginner. Beginner. No prior PLC knowledge assumed: the first three modules start from what a PLC is and what the rack looks like.
- Brand
- Siemens
- Software
- STEP 7 V5.7 (SIMATIC Manager): Siemens offers registered users a 21-day trial, on Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise; S7-PLCSIM V5.x for simulation (a separate Siemens product); optional Factory I/O (30-day trial) for the simulated-plant modules
- Hardware
- None. Every exercise runs in S7-PLCSIM.
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- plcgoods, The AutomationCentral, Control System Guru, GearHead Nomad (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.
PLC programming 路 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 路 Free PLC programming courses
Learning paths with this course
- Siemens engineer path 路 13 coursesThe Siemens stack most plants actually run: TIA Portal from zero, the S7-1200 instruction series, program structure, HMI panels, interrupts, PID, commissioning, Factory I/O projects, the S7-300 installed base, advanced S7-1500, safety, WinCC SCADA and LOGO!.
Learner reviews
No reviews yet
Reviews here are written only by learners who have finished every module of Siemens S7-300 with STEP 7, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.
Common questions
Why learn the S7-300 when Siemens has moved to the S7-1500?
Because the machines have not. The S7-300 was sold for over twenty years and thousands of plants worldwide still run on it. Maintaining, extending and eventually migrating those machines is paid work, and it needs someone who can read STEP 7 Classic and STL.
Do I need STEP 7 Classic installed?
Yes, for the exercises. STEP 7 V5.x is licensed software; a trial is available from Siemens, and many colleges and employers hold licences. The first three modules and every diagnostic module can be followed without it.
Do I need a real S7-300?
No. Every exercise runs in S7-PLCSIM, and the plant modules use the Factory I/O trial. A real rack helps later; nothing here requires one.
How is this different from the free TIA Portal course?
TIA Portal is the current tool and the S7-1200 the current small PLC. This course is the previous generation: SIMATIC Manager, HW Config, S5 timers, STL. The ideas overlap; the tools do not, and a maintenance engineer needs both.
What computer do I need for the Siemens S7-300 with STEP 7 course?
STEP 7 V5.x runs on Windows. A 64-bit Windows 10 machine with 8 GB of RAM is comfortable. It will not install on macOS or Linux without a Windows virtual machine.
Is the Siemens S7-300 with STEP 7 course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get, and is it a Siemens qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a Siemens credential and is never described as one.
Will this course get me a job?
On its own, no course will. What it gives you is the ability to open a twenty-year-old STEP 7 project on a factory floor and understand it, which is exactly what maintenance and retrofit roles are looking for.
What you walk away with
Your certificate for Siemens S7-300 with STEP 7
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.
- plcgoodsthe S7-300 course lessons: hardware, logic, analog, PID and projects
- The AutomationCentralthe SIMATIC Manager Step 7 tutorial series: HW Config, CPU properties, timers, STL, online, memory cards and diagnostics
- Control System Gurubit logic, edges, FC, FB and OB lessons
- GearHead Nomadsimulation, counters, comparators, arithmetic and process lessons
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.