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EDWartens UK

Free course · Electrical

Electrical Fundamentals for Technicians: Volts to Multimeter to Drawings

The electrical basics every technician needs, in the order you use them: charge, voltage, current and resistance; Ohm's and Kirchhoff's laws; AC and DC, single and three phase; power, energy and power factor; the multimeter and CAT ratings; cables, fuses, breakers, earthing and RCDs; IEC and NEMA symbols and schematics; relays, contactors and motors; safe isolation; and a fault-finding walkthrough.

See the modules

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

Level
Beginner
Modules
14
Video
14 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Explain charge, voltage, current and resistance; solve circuits with Ohm's and Kirchhoff's laws; tell AC from DC and work with RMS, single-phase and three-phase quantities; calculate power, energy and power factor; use a multimeter safely and choose one by its CAT rating; explain how cables, fuses, circuit breakers, earthing and RCDs protect people and equipment; read IEC and NEMA schematics; explain relays, contactors and induction motors; follow a safe isolation and prove-dead procedure; and find a fault logically with a drawing and a meter.

  • Explain voltage, current, resistance and charge, and use Ohm's law
  • Solve series and parallel circuits and check readings with Kirchhoff's laws
  • Work with AC, RMS, single-phase and three-phase supplies
  • Calculate power, energy in kWh and power factor
  • Use a multimeter safely and choose one by its CAT rating
  • Check cables, fuses and breakers, and explain earthing and RCDs
  • Read IEC and NEMA symbols, schematics and a start-stop circuit
  • Isolate and prove dead safely, and find faults with a drawing and a meter

Software

None. A calculator, and a spreadsheet if you like one for the energy and cable exercises.

Hardware

None required. A multimeter rated CAT III 600 V or better, a battery and a few resistors make the practice tasks more real; never use it on mains circuits until you have been trained and are supervised.

Syllabus

14 modules

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

  1. 1What electricity is: charge, voltage and current3 lessons
  2. 2Resistance, Ohm's law, series and parallel circuits4 lessons
  3. 3Kirchhoff's laws and voltage dividers3 lessons
  4. 4Power, energy and efficiency3 lessons
  5. 5AC and DC, and single-phase supplies4 lessons
  6. 6Three-phase power and power factor4 lessons
  7. 7The multimeter: volts, amps, ohms, continuity and CAT ratings4 lessons
  8. 8Cables, fuses and circuit breakers4 lessons
  9. 9Earthing, earth faults and RCDs5 lessons
  10. 10Symbols and reading schematics: IEC and NEMA3 lessonsLab
  11. 11Relays, contactors and motors in brief4 lessonsLab
  12. 12Safe isolation: lock out, tag and prove dead3 lessonsLab
  13. 13Fault-finding walkthrough2 lessonsLab
  14. 14Final 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

Read a single-line diagram, isolate a motor bucket the safe way and find a fault from your readings, the habits every technician needs.

Works alongside Electrical Fundamentals for Technicians: Volts to Multimeter to Drawings. The Lab is substation and mcc 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
Substation and MCC: Work a real switchroom.

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 Electrical Fundamentals for Technicians: Volts to Multimeter to Drawings

Credits

Who made the lessons

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

  • The Engineering Mindset

    the core lessons: how electricity works, voltage, current, Ohm's law, series and parallel circuits, resistors, AC and DC, RMS, single-phase and split-phase supplies, three-phase electricity and its calculations, power factor, the kilowatt hour, the multimeter and the clamp meter, fuses and current, why circuit breakers do not protect people, the ground wire and ground faults, relays and induction motors

  • Chris Guyatt

    reading electrical drawings on a real control panel, how a relay appears in a schematic, fault-finding control panels, and why beginners should master schematics first

  • RealPars

    the lessons on circuit breakers, contactors and industrial electrical troubleshooting

  • ElectroBOOM

    the lesson on the lumped model and Kirchhoff's circuit laws

  • The Organic Chemistry Tutor

    worked problems on Kirchhoff's current law, and on electric power and the cost of electricity in kWh

  • ALL ABOUT ELECTRONICS

    the lesson on Kirchhoff's voltage law

  • Techquickie

    the short explainer on volts, amps and watts

  • Fluke Corporation

    the short lesson on what CAT ratings are and why they matter

  • Electrician U

    the lesson on what multimeter CAT ratings mean

  • Craig Michaud- Electrical Instructor

    the lesson on voltage drop calculations

  • Gaurav J - TheElectricalGuy

    the guide to earthing systems: TT, TN-S, TN-C, TN-C-S and IT

  • eFIXX

    the lesson on what a residual current device is and how it works

  • The Maintenance Factory

    the lesson on basic electrical symbols

  • betechnical.ca

    the comparison of NEMA and IEC schematic symbols and drawings

  • Safelyio

    the electrical lockout/tagout procedure lesson

  • Martindale Electric

    the step-by-step safe isolation procedure with a voltage indicator and proving unit

  • GSH Electrical

    the demonstration of safe isolation of a single-phase consumer unit

Questions

About this course

Who is this course for?
New maintenance technicians, apprentice electricians, PLC beginners and anyone starting work around electrical equipment. No electrical experience is needed; arithmetic with a calculator is enough.
Is this an electrician's licence or a recognised electrical qualification?
No. It teaches the fundamentals and leads to an EDWartens Certificate of Completion. It is not an electrician's licence or a regulated qualification, and it does not authorise installation work. Local wiring rules, such as BS 7671 in the UK, the NEC (NFPA 70) in the United States and IS 732 in India, and the licensing rules where you work, govern who may do real installation work and how.
Does it follow British practice?
The physics is the same everywhere. The notes use 230/400 V, 50 Hz values with the North American 120/240 V and 60 Hz equivalents beside them, and teach both IEC and NEMA drawing symbols, so the course is useful worldwide. Always learn the rules of the country you work in.
Do I need a multimeter or any equipment?
No. Every practice task can be done with a calculator, rating plates and drawings. A multimeter, a battery and a few resistors make the meter exercises more real; never use a meter on mains circuits until you have been trained and are supervised.
Is the course really free?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the project and the final assessment. The only paid item is the certificate, if you want it.
What certificate do I get?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a number anyone can verify on our site. It is not an electrician's licence or a regulated qualification.
How long does the course take?
About 14 hours of video lessons, notes and practice questions, taken at your own pace. The first module is a short, friendly start. The optional project takes about 8 hours more.
What is the project?
You survey a small packaging workshop as its new maintenance technician: a load list with currents, a cable and protection check with voltage drop, a safe isolation procedure for the conveyor, a test record after a motor change, and a fault report on a conveyor that keeps stopping. A complete sample pack shows each document.
What should I take next?
Industrial Motor Control, then Control Panel Design and Building, and then a PLC course such as Siemens TIA Portal.

Electrical and mechanical fundamentals

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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