Course

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

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

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Editions, Bundles, PricingCourse Data Sheet (PDF)

92 Lessons

What You'll Learn and Receive

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 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:

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: “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.

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Course and Bundle Pricing:

PLC Basics 1st Ed. Remastered

$3499

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

$9999

  • Instant Access
  • Lifetime Access
  • PLC App Sim Program (Win 10/11)
  • Lesson Q & A Support
  • Completion Cert. with PDHs
  • Complete Getting Started Course
  • Weekly Live Q&A (Les. 1.10 & .11)
  • Additional Intermediate Lessons
  • 60+ Bonus Videos
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Bundle – Save $20!
A-B PLC Course Bundle

$17998

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

$59998

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

$79998

  • Instant Access
  • Lifetime Access
  • PLC App Sim Program (Win 10/11)
  • Lesson Q & A Support
  • Completion Cert. with PDHs
  • Complete Getting Started Courses
  • Weekly Live Q&A (Les. 1.10 & .11)
  • Additional Intermediate Lessons
  • +++Bonus Videos
  • + MicroLogix Course 2024 Update
  • + 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 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.

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Lessons and Reviews

Lessons

Start Here: Important Course Tips *

Lesson 1: PLC Basics Course Intro 1

Lesson 1.05-A: PLC Application Simulator * new

Lesson 1.10-A: Weekly Q&A Webinar * New

Lesson 1.11-A: Office Hours for Student Q&A * New

Lesson 1.12-A: One-On-One Mentoring * New

Lesson 2: PLC Hardware Section

Lesson 3: What is a PLC?

Quiz 1A: What is a PLC?

Lesson 4: Where are PLCs used?

Quiz 1B: Where can a PLC be used?

Lesson 5: Anatomy of a PLC

Quiz 1C: PLC Anatomy

Lesson 6: Hardware Styles, Types

Quiz 2: PLC styles and types

Lesson 7: Common Inputs, Outputs

Lesson 8: PLCs used in this course

Quiz 3: PLCs used in this course

Lesson 9: MicroLogix Hardware Tour

Lesson 10: Programming Cables

Lesson 11: Manuals, Docs

Exercise 1: Download User Manual *

Quiz 4: PLC Documentation

Lesson 12: Numbers and Data

Lesson 13: Numeral Systems

Exercise 2: Convert Binary to Decimal *

Exercise 2: Answers

Lesson 14: Types of Numbers

Lesson 15: Units of Digital Info

Lesson 16: Data Types

Quiz 5: Numbering Systems and Data Types

Lesson 17: Ladder Logic

Lesson 18: What is Ladder Logic

Quiz 6: Ladder Logic

Lesson 19: Download, Install, Setup

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

Lesson 21A: Installing on Windows 7

Lesson 21B: Installing on Windows 10 (2020)

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

Lesson 22: PLC Software Basics

Lesson 23: PLC Memory

Quiz 8: Program & Data Files (No Quiz 7)

Lesson 24: Emulate, RSLinx, Going Online

Lesson 25: Serial Comms

Lesson 26: Ethernet Comms

Quiz 9: RSLinx Communications

Lesson 27: PLC Programming

Lesson 28: Basic Bit Instructions

Exercise 4: Test Latch & Unlatch *

Quiz 10: Bit Instructions

Lesson 29: Simple Motor Control

Lesson 30: Run Stop Indication

Exercise 5: Test Motor Control *

Lesson 31: Bin Full Detection

Exercise 6: Test Permissive *

Lesson 32: Troubleshooting Control

Quiz 11: Programming

Lesson 33: Intro to Timers

Lesson 34: Sense Jam, No parts

Exercise 7: Timer On Delays *

Lesson 35: Elapsed Run Time

Lesson 36: Delay Time

Exercise 8: Timer Off Delays *

Lesson 37: Timers Extra Credit

Exercise 9: Retentive Timer *

Quiz 12: Timers

Lesson 38: Intro to Counters

Lesson 39: Part Counting

Exercise 10: Count Up *

Exercise 11: Count Down *

Quiz 13: Counters

Lesson 40: Copy Part Counts

Exercise 12: MOV *

Lesson 41: Conditional Reset

Quiz 14: Output Latch and Unlatch

Lesson 42: Creating a Clock

Lesson 43: ADD and SUB

Lesson 44: MUL and DIV

Lesson 45: GRT and LES

Quiz 15: Math

Lesson 51: Forcing IO (2019)

Lesson 52: Using Subroutines (2019)

Lesson 53: Processor Type (2019)

Lesson 54: Online Editing (2019)

Lesson 55: 1000 DF1 MSG (2019)

Lesson 56: 1100 DF1 MSG (2019)

Lesson 57: 1762 Expansion I/O (2020)

Lesson 61: Migrating SLC-500 Programs (Digital Only)

Final Lesson and Credits

Appendix A – Parts Used

Appendix B: All Downloads (PLE)

Appendix R: Find Your Rockwell Rep (2018) *

Reviews

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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)

Pre-sales Questions:

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






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