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EDWartens UK

Free course · PLC programming

Allen-Bradley RSLogix 500 and MicroLogix

The MicroLogix and SLC 500 on real hardware: file-based addressing, every instruction group, analog scaling, faults and forces, in RSLogix 500.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Beginner
Modules
19
Video
24 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Wire and connect a MicroLogix, understand the scan and file-based addressing, write ladder with XIC, XIO, OTE, OTL, OTU and one-shots, use timers, counters, comparators, math, move, masks, bitwise and file instructions, control program flow with JMP, JSR and MCR, scale analog with SCP, configure a high-speed counter, use forces safely, clear faults, and build the tank, traffic-light and elevator programs.

  • Wire a MicroLogix and read its status LEDs
  • Connect over Ethernet or serial DF1, upload, download and go online
  • Read and write file-based addresses: I:0/3, B3:0/5, N7:10, T4:0.ACC
  • Use every instruction group: bit, timer, counter, compare, math, move, file, control
  • Scale a 4-20 mA input with SCP and check it by hand
  • Configure the high-speed counter and compute RPM
  • Use forces safely and clear a fault from the status file
  • Build the tank, traffic-light and elevator programs from a specification

Software

RSLogix Micro Starter Lite (the free edition of RSLogix 500, for the MicroLogix 1000 and 1100), with the free RSLinx Classic Lite and RSLogix Emulate 500

Hardware

None. Emulate 500 runs the exercises and every program can be written and verified offline; the videos use a real MicroLogix trainer so you see the real thing.

Syllabus

19 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1MicroLogix, SLC 500 and RSLogix 5006 lessons
  2. 2Wiring the MicroLogix Trainer2 lessons
  3. 3Connecting: Ethernet, Serial DF1, RSLinx and Going Online7 lessons
  4. 4The Scan Cycle, and What a Blank Program Does2 lessons
  5. 5File-based Addressing: I, O, B3, N7, T4, C5 and Friends4 lessons
  6. 6XIC, XIO, OTE and the Seal-in7 lessonsLab
  7. 7Latch, Unlatch, One-shots and Power-up Behaviour8 lessons
  8. 8Logic Gates, Latching Patterns and Interlocks5 lessonsLab
  9. 9Timers: TON, TOF and RTO9 lessonsLab
  10. 10Counters: CTU and CTD6 lessonsLab
  11. 11Comparators: EQU, NEQ, LES, GRT, LEQ, GEQ, LIM and MEQ12 lessonsLab
  12. 12Math: ADD, SUB, MUL, DIV, CPT, SQR, NEG, TOD and FRD12 lessonsLab
  13. 13Move, Masks and Bitwise Logic10 lessonsLab
  14. 14Program Control: JMP, LBL, JSR, SBR, RET, TND and MCR4 lessons
  15. 15File Instructions: COP, FLL, BSL, BSR and Sequencers5 lessonsLab
  16. 16Analog Inputs and Scaling: SCL and SCP8 lessonsLab
  17. 17High-speed Counters, Forces and Faults5 lessons
  18. 18Projects: Tank Level, Traffic Lights and an Elevator7 lessonsLab
  19. 19Final Assessment1 lesson

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Practise in the labOptionalTry a task from the module in the EDWartens Lab, in your browser.
  5. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

EDWartens Lab

Practise this in the EDWartens Lab

Write and test the same ladder logic in the Lab's PLC simulator, go online and force inputs. The Lab uses a vendor-neutral editor, so brand software stays in the course.

Works alongside Allen-Bradley RSLogix 500 and MicroLogix. The Lab is plc programming practice in your browser: no install, no hardware, free to use. Sign in as a learner and it opens with your account.

Open the free lab See the Lab
PLC programming: Program a PLC, see it run.

Levels to try with this course

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Why practise in a lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

  • Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
  • The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
  • Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for Allen-Bradley RSLogix 500 and MicroLogix

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

  • Tim Wilborne (TW Controls)

    hardware, wiring, connection, scan, timers, counters, analog, HSC, forces and faults

  • Tech Talk Lalitesh

    the instruction-by-instruction RSLogix 500 series

  • Instrumentation Tools

    the Allen-Bradley PLC training series: fundamentals, addressing, logic examples and projects

  • plcgoods

    a lesson in "File Instructions: COP, FLL, BSL, BSR and Sequencers"

  • IPCS Global

    a lesson in "High-speed Counters, Forces and Faults"

Questions

About this course

Do I need to buy RSLogix 500?
Not for the MicroLogix 1000 and 1100: Rockwell's RSLogix Micro Starter Lite is free and programs both, and RSLogix Emulate 500 lets you run programs with no hardware. Larger controllers need a paid edition.
Do I need a MicroLogix?
No. Emulate 500 runs the exercises, and every program can be written and verified offline. The wiring and hardware modules use a real trainer so you see what the terminals and LEDs look like.
The MicroLogix is obsolete. Why learn it?
Because it is everywhere. Hundreds of thousands were installed and they keep running; maintaining them, and eventually migrating them to Micro800 or CompactLogix, is paid work that needs someone who can read file-based addressing.
How does this relate to the Studio 5000 course?
RSLogix 500 is the older, file-based world of N7:0 and T4:0; Studio 5000 is tag-based. Many plants have both. Learn this one first if the sites you work at have MicroLogix or SLC racks.
What computer do I need?
A 64-bit Windows 10 machine with 8 GB of RAM. RSLogix 500 is Windows-only.
Is the 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 Rockwell qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a Rockwell Automation credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons?
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.

Rockwell engineer path

Take it with

See the whole path

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module