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EDWartens UK

Free course · PLC programming

CODESYS and IEC 61131-3 Programming

The vendor-neutral PLC platform: ladder, function blocks, structured text, CFC and SFC, with Factory I/O projects and a visualization at the end.

See the modules

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

Level
Beginner
Modules
19
Video
21 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Install CODESYS and create a project, program ladder from contacts to latching and gates, use TON, TOF, TP, CTU, CTD and CTUD, tell functions from function blocks, write structured text with IF, CASE, loops, timers, edges, structures, functions and function blocks, build CFC and SFC programs, and put a visualization on top.

  • Explain why CODESYS sits inside so many PLC brands
  • Build ladder from NO/NC contacts to gates, latching and exercises
  • Use the IEC timers and counters and read their pins
  • Tell a function from a function block and write both
  • Write structured text with IF, CASE, FOR, WHILE, REPEAT, edges and structures
  • Build CFC and SFC programs for a sorting station and a warehouse
  • Bind a visualization to program variables

Software

CODESYS Development System (free from the CODESYS Store) with the soft PLC

Hardware

None. The soft PLC runs every exercise.

Syllabus

19 modules

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

  1. 1CODESYS: What It Is and the First Project4 lessons
  2. 2Contacts, Coils and NO/NC4 lessonsLab
  3. 3Logic Gates3 lessons
  4. 4Boolean Expressions to Ladder3 lessons
  5. 5Memory Bits and Latching4 lessonsLab
  6. 6Toggle Switches and Solenoids4 lessons
  7. 7Pumps, LEDs and Multi-Output Exercises5 lessons
  8. 8Ladder Instructions in Depth2 lessons
  9. 9Timers: TON, TOF and TP1 lesson
  10. 10Counters: CTU, CTD and CTUD1 lessonLab
  11. 11Functions versus Function Blocks1 lesson
  12. 12FBD and Structured Text: First Steps4 lessons
  13. 13ST Control Flow: IF, CASE and Loops5 lessonsLab
  14. 14ST: Timers, Counters, Edges and Structures3 lessons
  15. 15ST: Functions, Function Blocks and Utilities7 lessons
  16. 16CFC: Continuous Function Chart1 lessonLab
  17. 17SFC: Sequential Function Chart1 lessonLab
  18. 18Visualization1 lessonLab
  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 structured text and function block programs in the Lab's IEC 61131-3 simulator and watch them run.

Works alongside CODESYS and IEC 61131-3 Programming. 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 CODESYS and IEC 61131-3 Programming

Credits

Who made the lessons

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

Questions

About this course

Is CODESYS free?
Yes. The CODESYS Development System and its soft PLC for testing are free from the CODESYS Store. Runtime licences for real hardware are separate and not needed here.
Which PLC brands use CODESYS?
Schneider Machine Expert, ABB Automation Builder, Beckhoff TwinCAT, WAGO, Festo, Eaton and many more are CODESYS-based, so what you learn here transfers directly.
Do I need Factory I/O?
No. The projects are shown so you can follow the logic; every practice task runs on the soft PLC.
Do I need to know ladder first?
No. The first seven modules teach ladder from scratch before structured text starts.
What computer do I need?
A 64-bit Windows 10 machine with 8 GB of RAM. CODESYS 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 CODESYS GmbH qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a CODESYS GmbH 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.

IEC 61131 and software PLCs

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