PLC programming 路 Free
Siemens S7-1200 with TIA Portal: The Tutorial Series
Every S7-1200 instruction, one short video at a time: bits, edges, timers, counters, comparators, maths, MOVE, conversion, analog scaling, jumps and shift registers.
Inside the course
From the lessons
TIA Portal Environment, PLC and HMI Selection, Modules and Communication
The Automation Craze
Program Blocks, NO and NC Contacts, Set and Reset, Upload and Download
The Automation Craze
Latching Logic and Edge Detection: P_TRIG, N_TRIG, R_TRIG and F_TRIG
The Automation Craze
Timers and Counters
The Automation Craze
Comparators and Maths Instructions
The Automation Craze
MOVE and Conversion Instructions
The Automation Craze
Lesson frames belong to the creators named in the Credits below and are shown from YouTube.
What you will learn
Set up an S7-1200 project with its HMI, write and download ladder logic, use every everyday instruction group (bit logic, edges, timers, counters, comparators, maths, MOVE and conversion, NORM_X and SCALE_X, jumps, shift and rotate) and explain what each one does.
- Create an S7-1200 project, add an HMI and connect the two
- Write NO, NC, set and reset logic and download it to a PLC
- Use P_TRIG, N_TRIG, R_TRIG and F_TRIG edge instructions correctly
- Build timers, counters, comparators and maths into working logic
- Move, convert, normalise and scale values including analog inputs
- Control program flow with jumps and use shift and rotate registers
For you
Taking Siemens S7-1200 with TIA Portal: The Tutorial Series 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 14 hours
Bottle-cap check and batching station: counters, comparators, scaling and a shift register on an S7-1200
Design, program, test and document a station on a pharma packaging line that checks every capped bottle for cap presence, cap height and fill weight, tracks a reject decision six pitches down the belt to a pusher, and batches good bottles into trays of a set count. You use every instruction group the course taught on an S7-1214C with an SM 1231 analog module and a KTP700, and you deliver the program, your own I/O list and FAT record, and the hand-over note. The sample pack shows what an integrator delivers for the same station.
Sample document pack, 9 documents, filled in for the scenario
- FDSFunctional Design Specification: Cap Check and Batching Station CAP-1
- I/O listI/O List: Panel CP-21
- BOMBill of Materials: Panel CP-21 and Field Devices
- Tag listPLC Tag List and Naming Convention
- Alarm listAlarm List: Station CAP-1
- Interlock listInterlock and Permissive List: Station CAP-1
- FATFactory Acceptance Test Record: Panel CP-21
- O&M manualOperation and Maintenance Manual: Station CAP-1 (Operation section)
- Handover certificateSite Acceptance and Handover Certificate: Station CAP-1
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
9 modules 路 19 lessons 路 2h 17m
In order, at whatever pace suits you. Each module ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 01TIA Portal Environment, PLC and HMI Selection, Modules and Communication3 lessons13m
- 02Program Blocks, NO and NC Contacts, Set and Reset, Upload and Download3 lessons17m
- 03Latching Logic and Edge Detection: P_TRIG, N_TRIG, R_TRIG and F_TRIG3 lessons18m
- 04Timers and Counters2 lessons21m
- 05Comparators and Maths Instructions2 lessons29m
- 06MOVE and Conversion Instructions2 lessons16m
- 07Analog Scaling with NORM_X and SCALE_X, and Program Control Jumps2 lessons17m
- 08Shift and Rotate Registers1 lesson7m
Requirements
- Who it is for
- Beginner. A second route into TIA Portal for anyone who prefers short, one-topic videos.
- Software
- TIA Portal V15 or later (21-day trial) with S7-PLCSIM What to download, and how
- Hardware
- None, everything runs in simulation
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
- 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
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 S7-1200 with TIA Portal: The Tutorial Series at a glance
Siemens S7-1200 with TIA Portal: The Tutorial Series 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 9 modules and 2h 17m of video lessons by The Automation Craze, 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
- 9 self-paced modules, 2h 17m of video, written notes, a practice task per module and one final assessment.
- Level
- Beginner. Beginner. A second route into TIA Portal for anyone who prefers short, one-topic videos.
- Brand
- Siemens
- Software
- TIA Portal V15 or later (21-day trial) with S7-PLCSIM
- Hardware
- None, everything runs in simulation
- Certificate
- Optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code. Not a vendor credential.
- Video lessons by
- The Automation Craze (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.
HMI 路 FreeSiemens TIA Portal HMI: KTP and Comfort Panels with WinCCEvery screen a plant operator touches, built in TIA Portal: tags, buttons, symbols, numeric input, bar graphs, navigation and templates, trends, alarms, recipes, faceplates, pop-ups, users and languages.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 S7-1200 with TIA Portal: The Tutorial Series, and they are published exactly as written. Finish the course and yours will be the first.
Common questions
How is this different from the Siemens TIA Portal foundation course?
That course is a six-week study plan built around one lesson series. This one is instruction by instruction, in the order the S7-1200 instruction tree lists them, so it works as a reference you can jump around in.
Do I need an S7-1200?
No. Everything is shown in TIA Portal with PLCSIM. A real S7-1200 helps for the download module but is not required.
Is the Siemens S7-1200 with TIA Portal: The Tutorial Series 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 S7-1200 with TIA Portal: The Tutorial Series 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 S7-1200 with TIA Portal: The Tutorial Series 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 nine modules at your own speed.
What will I be able to do when I finish?
Set up an S7-1200 project with its HMI, write and download ladder logic, and use every everyday instruction group, from bit logic, edges, timers and counters to MOVE, NORM_X, SCALE_X, jumps and shift registers. You will also be able to explain what each instruction does.
What you walk away with
Your certificate for Siemens S7-1200 with TIA Portal: The Tutorial Series
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.
- The Automation Crazethe numbered Siemens TIA Portal S7-1200 tutorial series
If you are one of these creators and would like a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@wartens.com.