PLC Basics Extended 2nd Edition
Learn everything you need to know (and more!) 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 |
| 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 Learn and Receive
- What PLCs are, and how they work
- Numbering Systems, Data Types
- Inputs and Outputs, I/O Scan
- Setting up RSLinx Drivers
- Testing Programs in Emulate
- Different styles and types of PLCs
- How to read Ladder Logic
- Bits, Integers, Timers, Counters
- Creating Programs in RSLogix
- Up & Downloading to PLCs
What You'll Receive With Your Purchase
- Immediate Online Access
- Fifty Five Plus Online Lessons
- Eighteen File Downloads
- Online Instructor Support
- PLC Hardware & Software is NOT Included
- No Expiration Date
- Take Lessons In Any Order
- Retake Lessons As Needed
- Completion Certificate with PDHs
Learn to confidently setup, program, and troubleshoot PLCs with PLC Basics Extended Second 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 for those who'd prefer to learn with a physical PLC, we also cover which Programmable Controllers and Programming cables work best and why, as well as how to set them up and program them. We even provide you with a list of components and devices used to build the affordable, homemade PLC trainer we use in this course.
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.
Standard 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
Extended Edition Topics:
- Using Photo Eyes
- Bin Full Detection
- Conveyor Jams, Blockages
- Elapsed Run Times
- Production Tracking
- Mathematical Equations
- Comparison Instructions
- Analog Inputs and Outputs
- Migrating SLC-500 programs
- 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:
Link to Instructor(s) Details
Student review: “Great Course! Clear and easy to follow instruction and examples by Shawn. I'm looking forward to taking the other courses. 5 star!!!” – R.M.
Student review: “This is excellent training for beginners. It is very detailed and full of valuable information. I would recommend this to any hobbyist / technician / engineer / scientist with no prior PLC knowledge or experience.” – G.P.
Student review: “From having no knowledge of plc's and ladder logic, to creating simple programs, This course did exactly what it was supposed to do, introduction into plc's.” – M.I.I
Student review: “This course was excellent at getting the inside concepts of a plc and what it does! Shawn had me running a plc program in a emulator within hours.” – F.B.
Video: All MicroLogix Hardware, Software, and Simulation Options
Course and Bundle Pricing:
- Instant Access
- Lifetime Access
- Lesson Q & A Support
- Completion Cert. with PDHs
- Getting Started Course
- PLC App Sim (Win 10/11)
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- Instant Access
- Lifetime Access
- Lesson Q & A Support
- Completion Cert. with PDHs
- Updated Second Edition
- PLC App Sim (Win 10/11)
- Intermediate Lessons
- Bonus Videos
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- Instant Access
- Lifetime Access
- Lesson Q & A Support
- Completion Cert. with PDHs
- PLC Two Course Bundle
- PLC App Sim (Win 10/11)
- Intermediate Lessons
- +++Bonus Videos
- + Micro800 Course
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- Instant Access
- Lifetime Access
- Lesson Q & A Support
- Completion Cert. with PDHs
- Seven A-B Course Bundle
- PLC App Sim (Win 10/11)
- Intermediate Lessons
- +++Bonus Videos
- + Micro800 Course
- + CompactLogix Course
- + ControlLogix Course
- + PanelView Plus Course
- + ViewSE Course
- + CCW VFD Quickstart
- X
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- Instant Access
- Lifetime Access
- Lesson Q & A Support
- Completion Cert. with PDHs
- Seventeen A-B Course Bundle
- PLC App Sim (Win 10/11)
- Intermediate Lessons
- +++Bonus Videos
- + Micro800 Course
- + CompactLogix Course
- ControlLogix Course
- + PVPlus Course
- + FTViewSE Course
- + CCW VFD Quickstart
- + Master Logix: PLCLogix
- + Master Logix: FactoryIO
- + SLC-500 Course Pre-Order
- + PLC-5 Course Pre-Order
NOTE: To purchase this course as a gift, or for someone else to take, please choose the Voucher option at top of the page.
Sample Lesson and Snapshots
Free Sample Lesson:
This lesson covers the benefits of the PLCs used in this course, chief among them is free programming and emulation software.
NOTE: If the above Sample Lesson Video does not load, your place of business 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.
Another sample lesson is available to preview HERE.
Student Reviews:
All students who have completed this course are invited to leave a review, and you can view those reviews on the above review tab.
Course Requirements and Questions
Requirements to follow along and/or complete any optional exercises:
Students who wish to complete any optional exercises, or just follow along with the instructor as he teaches, will need the following:
- An internet connection to take this online course as well as to optionally download the free PLC programming and emulation software from Rockwell's website
- Students who wish to use a physical PLC (in place of the free PLC emulator) will need either a MicroLogix 1000 or 1100 for use with the free programming software, plus a programming cable compatible with their PLC and PC (all of this is covered in the course)
- A Windows PC compatible with the above software (see below) and PLC
- Optionally any Input (push buttons, switches, etc) or Output (pilot lights, relays, etc) devices the student would like to use with their MicroLogix 1000 or 1100 (a list of the devices we use is provided)
- NOTE: While the course covers how to find I/O wiring diagrams, it does not include lessons on basic electricity or basic wiring skills
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)
License agreement and permitted use of our online courses:
This section covers the license agreement and permitted use of our online courses and course bundles, which also includes any course materials, code snippets, downloads, and provided software, which taken all together will henceforth be referred to collectively as a "course:"
The purchase of a single copy of a course grants a single individual with the right to use the course 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 that 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, students, or anyone else as each sale is for an individual license to access, view, and take the lessons, quizzes, exercises, 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 the 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 - this includes 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.
Course Content
Reviews
As someone who is new to this position and eager for it to be a career path for myself, I found this very intriguing and informative content that was presented in this course. I learned a lot and a ton of different ways to program code/logic and understand the instruments/devices as well!
First off, I did shop around not so much for cost, but to find an instructor who taught the subject well for me. Shawn was an easy choice. I thought the course was very good and the method of building an evolving program to meet a customer's needs from scratch was a great way to learn. In addition, being able to revisit lessons to shore up steps is very helpful. I would recommend this course to others.
I cannot recommend this online PLC school enough! The curriculum was incredibly comprehensive, covering everything from the basics of PLC programming to advanced topics like networking and communication protocols. The video lectures and practical exercises were engaging and easy to follow, and the course materials were well-organized and easy to navigate. The instructors were knowledgeable and supportive, always available to answer questions and provide feedback. I felt like I was getting a truly personalized learning experience, even though the course was entirely online. Thanks to this program, I now have a solid understanding of PLC programming and am confident in
I am taking a PLC course at my community college and have benefited from various topics presented in this course.
About the Instructors
