Siemens S7-300 with STEP 7

Because the machines have not. The S7-300 was sold for over twenty years and plants around the world still run on it. Distributors report that new orders ended in October 2025 and that spare parts stay available until 2033, but each part has its own dates in the Siemens Product Lifecycle entry. Maintaining, extending and eventually migrating those machines needs someone who can read STEP 7 Classic and STL.

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.

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.

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.

STEP 7 V5.x runs on Windows. A 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 Pro or Enterprise machine with 8 GB of RAM is comfortable. It will not install on macOS or Linux without a Windows virtual machine.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.

The Siemens S7-300 with STEP 7 course has 22 modules. It opens with "Meet the S7-300 and SIMATIC Manager", goes through "Hardware Configuration in HW Config", "S7 Timers: S_PULSE, S_ODT, S_OFFDT and Friends", "Closed-loop Control: ON/OFF and PID" and "Diagnostics: Why the CPU Stopped" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.

After the Siemens S7-300 with STEP 7 course: 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. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.

For the Siemens S7-300 with STEP 7 course, software: STEP 7 V5.7 (SIMATIC Manager), latest service pack: ask Siemens Industry Online Support about a trial licence (one has been reported for V5.6), on 64-bit Windows 10 or 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. The course itself is free.

Siemens S7-300 with STEP 7 is rated beginner. Beginner. No prior PLC knowledge assumed: the first three modules start from what a PLC is and what the rack looks like. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation, electrical and instrumentation, and takes about 22.9 hours at your own pace.

Skills from the Siemens S7-300 with STEP 7 course (for example: build an S7-300 rack in HW Config and read the addresses it assigns) 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.