Course

PLC Basics First Edition Remastered

The original PLC Basics™ course is back and remastered for it's Ten Year Anniversary! Learn everything you need to know to setup, use, and program PLCs, including:


✓ What PLCs are, and how they work ✓ Different styles and types of PLCs
✓ Numbering Systems, Data Types ✓ How to read Ladder Logic
✓ Inputs and Outputs, I/O Scan ✓ Bits, Integers, Timers, Counters
✓ Setting up RSLinx Drivers ✓ Creating Programs in RSLogix
✓ Testing Programs in Emulate ✓ Up & Downloading to PLCs

Full Details...

NOTE: Need to enroll one or two employees? Choose the Voucher option. Need to enroll three or more? Please contact us for quantity discounts and other perks HERE

Add Course To Cart*Add Voucher To Cart**

 

^ *Tip: Enroll yourself in course ^^ **Tip: Buy course for employee or gift ^

 

Editions, Bundles, PricingCourse Data Sheet (PDF)

67 Lessons
Buy For Someone Else (Voucher) Open Course Data Sheet (PDF)

 
– NOTE: To purchase this course for someone else, choose “Voucher.” If you need to enroll three or more people, contact us HERE to learn about our group enrollment program.

What You'll Receive With Your Purchase

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Proudly Serving Thousands of Individuals and Companies in Fifty-five Countries:

Learn to confidently setup, program, and troubleshoot PLCs with PLC Basics Remastered First Edition

You don't need to spend thousands of dollars to learn how to use, program, and troubleshoot PLCs. All you need is basic electrical knowledge, a Windows PC, and our affordable PLC Basics Second Edition Online Course.

PLC Basics is the perfect online course for electricians, technicians, and engineers who want to learn to setup, troubleshoot, and program PLCs. Taught by a factory certified PLC specialist with over thirty years of experience, in this course you will learn everything you need to know to get started using PLCs with confidence.

Unlike other vendor's courses that become available only after you purchase their expensive hardware or trainers, our PLC courses doesn't require you to purchase any additional parts as we show you how to download and use the free editions of the Allen-Bradley PLC Programming and Emulation software used in this course.

And unlike other companies whose job is done once the sale is complete, we're committed to your success and actively encourage students to post questions in the lesson discussion area. Our expert instructors visit The Automation School each weekday to support and answer student questions.

We also invite you to come back and retake any lesson as the need arises, which is made possible by the fact that none of our course come with an expiration date.

And when you finish your course and pass all the quizzes, you'll also be rewarded with an official Completion Certificate from from The Automation School that will list the Professional Development Hours you've earned by completing all of the course content.

Remastered First Edition Topics:

Below is a summary of the topics covered, and a complete lesson listing is also available in a following section:

  • What a PLC is
  • Styles and Types of PLCs
  • Numbering Systems and Data Types
  • What Ladder Logic is and how it works
  • How to setup Serial and Ethernet Communications
  • Creating, Testing, and Troubleshooting MicroLogix Programs in RSLogix
  • How to integrate Push Buttons and Pilots Lights with PLC Logic
  • How to use PLCs in a Motor Control circuit
  • Elapsed Run Times
  • Mathematical Equations
  • Comparison Instructions
  • And more!

Who should take this course:

Anyone who has basic electrical knowledge and wants to learn how to setup, program, and troubleshoot PLCs.

Instructor Bio:

Shortly after earning a degree in Electronics, Shawn Tierney spent twenty five years working in the field as a Rockwell Automation authorized distributor specialist helping countless Engineers and Electricians learn how to select, setup, program, and troubleshoot Allen-Bradley industrial automation controls.

During his time as a specialist, Shawn attended over fifty weeks of Rockwell training and gained his certification as a Rockwell Automation Specialist and Information Software Specialist, and graduated from Rockwell's STPA Certification program with the highest recorded score.

During that time Shawn also earned his Microsoft Certifications in Server and Desktop Operating Systems, becoming a Microsoft Certified Professional.

Shawn left his job as an Automation Specialist in 2015 to focus on sharing everyting he's learned in affordable, self-paced courses at TheAutomationSchool.com

Student review: “I can honestly say that I have learned more with this course than I did with A-B's version. I feel so much more confident with communications between the computer, drivers, and the plc. And I understand better the functions and the processes that are taking place in the plc regarding XIC's, TON's, and Counters. This has really opened my eyes!” – R.A..

Student review: “Very nice course. You're a really good teacher who knows how to teach. I really enjoyed this course. Thank you very much” – S.S.

Student review: “Perfectly paced. He knows his stuff, and he's quite simply, a very gifted instructor. Thanks.” – J.C.

Student review: “Instructors presentation is clear and well organized. He walks the student through setting up the software so that the student may follow along at home.” – J.B.

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Course and Bundle Pricing:

PLC Basics FE Remasted

$3499

  • Instant Access
  • Lifetime Access
  • Lesson Q & A Support
  • Completion Cert. with PDHs
  • Complete Getting Started Course
  • PLC App Sim Program (Win 10/11)
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PLC Basics SE Extended

$9999

  • Instant Access
  • Lifetime Access
  • Lesson Q & A Support
  • Completion Cert. with PDHs
  • Complete Getting Started Course
  • PLC App Sim Program (Win 10/11)
  • Additional Intermediate Lessons
  • Weekly Live Q&A (Les. 1.10 & .11)
  • 60+ Bonus Videos
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Bundle – Save 10%
A-B PLC Course Bundle

$17998

  • Instant Access
  • Lifetime Access
  • Lesson Q & A Support
  • Completion Cert. with PDHs
  • Complete Getting Started Courses
  • PLC App Sim Program (Win 10/11)
  • Additional Intermediate Lessons
  • Weekly Live Q&A (Les. 1.10 & .11)
  • +++Bonus Videos
  • + Micro800 Course
  • X
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Bundle – Save 35%
A-B Mega Course Bundle

$59998

  • Instant Access
  • Lifetime Access
  • Lesson Q & A Support
  • Completion Cert. with PDHs
  • Complete Getting Started Courses
  • PLC App Sim Program (Win 10/11)
  • Additional Intermediate Lessons
  • Weekly Live Q&A (Les. 1.10 & .11)
  • +++Bonus Videos
  • + Micro800 Course
  • + CompactLogix Course
  • + ControlLogix Course
  • + PanelView Plus Course
  • + FTViewSE Course
  • + CCW VFD Quickstart
  • X
  • X
  • X
  • X

A-B Ultimate Course Bundle

$79998

  • Instant Access
  • Lifetime Access
  • Lesson Q & A Support
  • Completion Cert. with PDHs
  • Complete Getting Started Courses
  • PLC App Sim Program (Win 10/11)
  • Additional Intermediate Lessons
  • Weekly Live Q&A (Les. 1.10 & .11)
  • +++Bonus Videos
  • + Micro800 Course & 2024 Update
  • + CompactLogix Course 2024 Update
  • + ControlLogix Course & 2024 Update
  • + PVPlus Course & 2024 Update
  • + FTViewSE Course
  • + CCW VFD Quickstart
  • + Master Logix: PLCLogix
  • + Master Logix: FactoryIO Pre-Order
  • + Ultimate SLC Pre-Order
  • + Ultimate PLC-5 Pre-Order

NOTE: To purchase this course as a gift, or for a co-worker to take, please choose the Voucher option at top of the page.

Sample Lesson and Snapshots

This lesson covers how to download the free versions of RSLogix, RSLinx, and Emulate 500.

NOTE: If the above Sample Lesson Video does not load, your company's IT department may be blocking our video host Vimeo.com. To verify this, try viewing the video on your Cell Phone or Home PC, or ask your IT department to unblock educational videos hosted on Vimeo.com.
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Course Requirements and Questions

After purchasing this course, the only requirement to take the course is an Internet Connection to access this website.

That said, students who would like to complete the optional hands-on exercises should read the below:

While the hands-on exercises in this course are completely optional, it's understandable that many students want to complete them as part of their learning journey.

If that's you, below are two common options you can choose from:

1) You either have, or can acquire, a physical MicroLogix 1000 or 1100 (if using the free version of RSLogix) or a MicroLogix 1200, 1400, or 1500 and the paid version of RSLogix Micro. This, along with your software installed and working on your PC, would be the ideal situation to complete the optional hands-on exercises, however we know most students will not have access to the hardware.

NOTE: A common question we get is if we provide hardware or software with this online course, and since both are many times the price of this course, we do not.

2) For those who don't have access to a physical MicroLogix PLC and software license, we do walk students through how to download the free version of RSLogix Micro, as well as the free PLC Emulator, Emulate 500, and together they can be used to complete most of the optional exercises.

Note: Currently, Rockwell states their free RSLogix PLC and Emulation software supports these Windows versions:

  • Windows XP Pro SP3 32-bit
  • Windows Vista, Home or Business
  • Windows 7, Home or Pro
  • Windows 8, Home or Pro
  • Windows 10 (Unofficial, instructor tested)

Pre-sales Questions:

Have a question about this course? Please use the below form to send your question to the instructor:






Less

Legal Stuff: The permitted use of this course, and the included course materials, code snippets, downloads, and software:

The purchase of a single copy of this course grants a single individual with the right to use the courses for personal instruction and reference only. Purchasing a course for yourself (or for another) does not grant you, them, or anyone the right to distribute or share this work beyond the single individual that registers to take the course.

This means the course and course materials may not be shared with friends, relatives, co-workers, or students, as each sale is for an individual license to view the lessons, and download any course materials, documents, code files, and software that are included with the course.

This per-person licensing helps ensure that the instructor who created this course (and exclusively holds the copyright for it,) can cover the expense outlaid to create the course, as well as cover the continuing costs of keeping the course available to new and existing customers, and additionally cover the expense of answering new questions that paying customers may have, all while providing the instructor (and copyright holder) with fair compensation for access to their copyrighted course and course materials that are licensed on a per-person basis.

Note that it is unlawful to share this copyrighted course and course material *even* if you do not charge for doing so, or do not make a profit doing so (including non-profit and governmental organizations,) as the nature of this unique, copyrighted, proprietary educational work (for which the instructor holds the sole copyright,) is that it is designed as a chargeable training resource that is not made freely available to the public, and as such its only value is in its controlled distribution. Therefore, any unauthorized sharing of the course or the course materials would greatly reduce the potential for additional sales and licensing, directly impacting the ability of the instructor and copyright holder to cover their costs to produce the course, as well as to continue to make it available to new and existing customers, and to support customers who lawfully purchased it.

If you have any questions on the above, please contact us using the "contact link" in the site menu.

Lessons

Start Here: Important Course Tips

Lesson 1.00-V: Intro To PLCs (Free Preview)

Lesson 1.02-V: Following Along * New (Free Preview)

Lesson 1.05-B: PLC Application Simulator * New

Lesson 1.06-V: FactoryIO: Overview & Use with SLC/MLX * New

Lesson 1.07-V: PLCLogix 500: Overview & Use * New

Lesson 2.01-V: PLC Unboxing

Lesson 2.02-V: Vital Docs

Exercise 1: Download User Manual *

Quiz 1.00: PLC Hardware

Lesson 3.01C-B (20C): OPTIONAL RSLogix, Emulate & RSLinx Download * New

Lesson 3.02-V: Software Install

Exercise 3: Install, Open & Explore RSLogix Starter Lite *

Lesson 3.03-V: Navigating

Lesson 4.00-V: Numbers and Data

Exercise 2: Convert Binary to Decimal *

Exercise 2: Answers

Lesson 5.01-V: Program Files

Lesson 5.02-V: Data Files

Quiz 2.00: Program and Data

Lesson 6.01-V: Ladder Logic

Lesson 6.02-V: Logical Continuity

Quiz 3.00: Ladder Logic

Lesson 6.03-V: Bit Instructions

Quiz 4.00: Bit Instructions

Lesson 6.04-V: PLC Scan

Lesson 7.01-V: First Program

Lesson 07.02-V: Using Bits

Lesson 8.01A-V: Serial Cables and PC Driver

Lesson 8.02A-V: RSLinx Setup

Lesson 8.03A-V: PLC Download & Test

Exercise 4/5: Test Motor Control *

Exercise 6: Test Permissive *

Lesson 8.01B-V: Emulate Setup *

Lesson 8.02B-V: Emulate Download, Test *

Lesson 9.01-V: Latch, Unlatch (Set, Reset)

Exercise 4: Test Latch & Unlatch *

Lesson 10.01-V: Timer Data File

Lesson 10.02-V: Timer On Delay

Exercise 7: Timer On Delays *

Lesson 10.03-V: Timer Off Delay

Exercise 8: Timer Off Delays *

Lesson 10.04-V: Retentive Timer

Lesson 10.05-V: Timer Reset

Exercise 9: Retentive Timer *

Lesson 10.06-V: Timer Extra Credit *

Quiz 5.00: Timers

Lesson 11.01-V: Counter Data File

Lesson 11.02-V: Count Up

Exercise 10: Count Up *

Lesson 11.03-V: Count Down

Lesson 11.04-V: Count Reset

Exercise 11: Count Down *

Lesson 11.05-V: Counter Extra Credit *

Quiz 6.00: Counters

Lesson 12.01-V: Integers

Lesson 12.02-V: ADD Instruction

Lesson 12.03-V: Add Extra Credit *

Lesson 12.04-V: SUB Instruction

Lesson 12.05-V: MUL & DIV

Lesson 12.06-V: DIV Extra Credit *

Lesson 13.01-V: LES & GRT

Lesson 13.02-V: LEQ & GEQ

Lesson 14.01-V: MOV

Exercise 12: MOV *

Lesson 14.02-V: COP and FLL

Appendix A: All Downloads (PLC 1RE) *