Process control 路 Free
Siemens TIA Portal PID Compact and Analog Processing
Closed-loop control the way it is done on an S7-1200 or S7-1500: analog in, NORM_X and SCALE_X, PID_Compact configured, tuned and wired to an HMI, analog or PWM out, proved on a free tank simulation.
Inside the course
From the lessons
Why Closed-Loop Control, and What P, I and D Mean
Hegamurl
Analog Input Processing: NORM_X and SCALE_X
Hegamurl
Analog Output Processing: Unscaling
Hegamurl
PID_Compact: Placing, Configuring and Running It
Hegamurl
Tuning PID_Compact, and Analog versus PWM Output
Hegamurl
Tank Simulation, HMI Control and Factory I/O Level Control
Hegamurl
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
Explain why a loop needs a controller and what P, I and D do, scale analog inputs and outputs, place and configure PID_Compact in a cyclic OB, tune it with pretuning and fine tuning, choose between analog and PWM outputs, and run it against an HMI and a tank simulation.
- Explain on/off, three-point and PID control and when each fits
- Read P, I and D as gain, reset time and rate time
- Scale analog inputs with NORM_X and SCALE_X and outputs the other way
- Configure PID_Compact in a cyclic interrupt OB and run it
- Pretune and fine-tune a loop and judge the result
- Choose analog or PWM output and control the loop from an HMI
For you
Taking Siemens TIA Portal PID Compact and Analog Processing 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 路 about 18 hours
Pasteuriser outlet temperature and balance-tank level: two PID_Compact loops on an S7-1200, tuned and recorded
Design, program, tune and document two control loops for a dairy pasteuriser: shell-and-tube heat-exchanger outlet temperature from a Pt100 through an SM 1231 RTD module to a 4-20 mA steam valve, and balance-tank level from a hydrostatic transmitter to a 4-20 mA inlet valve, both with PID_Compact in a cyclic OB and a KTP700 faceplate. You deliver the program, your own I/O list, loop-check sheets, FAT record and loop tuning record. The sample pack shows every one of those the way an integrator hands them over.
Sample document pack, 9 documents, filled in for the scenario
- P&IDP&ID Tag and Line Schedule: Pasteuriser Heating Section PAS-1
- Control narrativeControl Narrative: PAS-1 Temperature and Level Control
- Instrument indexInstrument Index: PAS-1
- I/O listI/O List: Panel CP-201
- Loop drawingInstrument Loop Diagrams: TT-101, TCV-101, LT-100, LCV-100
- Alarm listAlarm List: PAS-1
- FATFactory Acceptance Test Record: Panel CP-201
- Loop checkLoop Check Sheets: TT-101 and LT-100
- Loop tuning recordPID Loop Tuning Record: TIC-101 and LIC-100
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
7 modules 路 12 lessons 路 2h 54m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01Why Closed-Loop Control, and What P, I and D Mean2 lessons29m
- 02Analog Input Processing: NORM_X and SCALE_X1 lesson25m
- 03Analog Output Processing: Unscaling1 lesson20m
- 04PID_Compact: Placing, Configuring and Running It2 lessons29m
- 05Tuning PID_Compact, and Analog versus PWM Output2 lessons34m
- 06Tank Simulation, HMI Control and Factory I/O Level Control3 lessons37m
- 07Final Assessment1 lesson15m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Intermediate. You should already write ladder in TIA Portal; the Siemens TIA Portal foundation course is the ideal preparation.
- Software
- TIA Portal V15 or later (21-day trial) with S7-PLCSIM; Factory I/O trial for the level scene What to download, and how
- Hardware
- None. The tank simulation and Factory I/O stand in for the plant.
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 for the level scene only.
Required
- 01Free trial: 21 days
SIMATIC STEP 7 Professional and WinCC (TIA Portal) V21 Trial
Siemens
- 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 8.1 GB for the main ISO, plus an optional 3.1 GB DVD 2 with hardware support packages
Siemens lets registered users download the V21 trial of STEP 7 (Basic and Professional), STEP 7 Safety and WinCC and test it for 21 days. The same package is used for the full product; after 21 days you need a purchased licence to keep working.
Steps
- 1.Open the Siemens trial page (entry 109989774) and sign in with your Siemens Industry Online Support account.
- 2.Download TIA_Portal_STEP7_Safety_WinCC_V21.iso (8.1 GB).
- 3.Download S7-PLCSIM_V21.iso (2.5 GB) from the same page: PLCSIM is a separate download.
- 4.Right-click each ISO, choose Mount, and run Start.exe as administrator. Install STEP 7 and WinCC first, then PLCSIM.
- 5.Follow the setup, accept the licence terms and restart the PC when asked.
- 6.Open TIA Portal V21 and create a new project to confirm it runs.
- Install from a local drive with plenty of free space; Siemens lists 20 GB free as the minimum and the ISOs alone are over 10 GB.
- You only need DVD 2 if you want extra hardware support packages.
- If you cannot install locally, Siemens also offers a 21-day TIA Portal Cloud trial in the browser (one-hour sessions, not in every country).
Official download pagesupport.industry.siemens.comAlternatives
- TIA Portal Cloud trial: 21 days free in a cloud virtual machine, no install. Sessions are limited to one hour and it is not available in every country.
- 02Free trial: 21 days
S7-PLCSIM V21 (TIA Portal) Trial
Siemens
- 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.
Steps
- 1.Open the Siemens STEP 7 and WinCC V21 trial page (entry 109989774) and sign in.
- 2.Install STEP 7 V21 from the main TIA Portal ISO first.
- 3.Download S7-PLCSIM_V21.iso (2.5 GB) from the section Download S7-PLCSIM Standard V21.
- 4.Mount the ISO, run Start.exe as administrator and follow the setup.
- 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
Optional
Useful, not needed to finish the course.
- 03Free 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 TIA Portal PID Compact and Analog Processing at a glance
Siemens TIA Portal PID Compact and Analog Processing is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, ITI and diploma holders, and working engineers in process plants. It has 7 modules and 2h 54m of video lessons by Hegamurl, The Automation Craze, Instrumentation Tools, 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 process plants
- Format
- 7 self-paced modules, 2h 54m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Intermediate. Intermediate. You should already write ladder in TIA Portal; the Siemens TIA Portal foundation course is the ideal preparation.
- Brand
- Siemens
- Software
- TIA Portal V15 or later (21-day trial) with S7-PLCSIM; Factory I/O trial for the level scene
- Hardware
- None. The tank simulation and Factory I/O stand in for the plant.
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- Hegamurl, The Automation Craze, Instrumentation Tools (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 instrumentation and process control courses 路 Free control engineering and PID 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 TIA Portal PID Compact and Analog Processing, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.
Common questions
Do I need a real process?
No. The course uses a free tank simulation block and a Factory I/O level scene, so the loop behaves like a real one without hardware.
Is this the same as the generic PID course on this site?
That course is vendor-neutral theory across brands. This one is the Siemens implementation: PID_Compact, its OB, its tuning dialog and its outputs.
Is the Siemens TIA Portal PID Compact and Analog Processing 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 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.
Who made the video lessons in the Siemens TIA Portal PID Compact and Analog Processing 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 TIA Portal PID Compact and Analog Processing course take?
Plan on about 5 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the seven modules at your own speed.
What software do I need?
TIA Portal V15 or later with S7-PLCSIM, which you can run on Siemens' 21-day trial, plus the Factory I/O trial for the tank level scene. No hardware is needed, because the tank simulation and Factory I/O stand in for the plant.
What you walk away with
Your certificate for Siemens TIA Portal PID Compact and Analog Processing
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$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.
- Hegamurlthe TIA Portal PID and closed-loop control series
- The Automation Crazethe PID Compact tutorial (tutorial 40)
- Instrumentation Toolsthe Factory I/O tank level control lesson
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.