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EDWartens UK

Free course · HMI

HMI Design and Programming: Siemens WinCC and FactoryTalk View ME

What an HMI is and how to design one well, then two mainstream tools end to end: Siemens WinCC in TIA Portal and Rockwell FactoryTalk View Machine Edition on PanelView Plus, with WinCC flexible for the legacy base.

See the modules

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

Level
Beginner
Modules
16
Video
18 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Explain what an HMI is and what high-performance design means, build a WinCC project from template to transfer with alarms, trends, recipes, users, scripting and languages, read a WinCC flexible project, and build a FactoryTalk View ME application with displays, navigation, communications, alarms, animation, global objects, security and 21 CFR Part 11, recipes, ActiveX, macros, firmware, backup and troubleshooting, with a look at FactoryTalk View SE.

  • Design a high-performance HMI: grey ground, colour for abnormal, screen hierarchy
  • Build a WinCC TIA project with templates, connection, tags, screens, animation, text lists, pop-ups
  • Configure alarms, trends, recipes, users, scripts, libraries and languages in WinCC
  • Read and maintain a WinCC flexible 2008 legacy project
  • Create a FactoryTalk View ME application, displays, navigation, runtime file and terminal communications
  • Add alarms, animation, global objects, language switching, trends and parameters in ME
  • Implement security, 21 CFR Part 11, recipes, ActiveX and macros
  • Maintain PanelView Plus terminals: firmware, backup, restore, conversion, troubleshooting; know when SE fits

Software

TIA Portal with WinCC (21-day trial). FactoryTalk View Studio ME is paid: it runs 7 days without activation, then in two-hour demo sessions

Hardware

None. Both tools simulate the panel.

Syllabus

16 modules

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

  1. 1What an HMI Is and How to Choose One3 lessonsLab
  2. 2Siemens WinCC: Project, Templates, Connection, Tags5 lessonsLab
  3. 3Siemens Screens and Animation5 lessons
  4. 4Siemens Alarms, Trends, Recipes3 lessonsLab
  5. 5Siemens Users, Scripting, Libraries, Languages4 lessons
  6. 6Siemens Transfer, Media, Cross References, Analog5 lessons
  7. 7WinCC flexible 2008 Legacy4 lessons
  8. 8FactoryTalk View: Install, Tour, Activation, First ME Application7 lessons
  9. 9FTV ME: Displays, Navigation, Runtime, Communications8 lessonsLab
  10. 10FTV ME: Hello World to Alarms and Animation5 lessonsLab
  11. 11FTV ME: Global Objects, Languages, Remote Access, Trends, Parameters5 lessons
  12. 12FTV ME: Security and 21 CFR Part 116 lessons
  13. 13FTV ME: Recipes, ActiveX and Macros6 lessons
  14. 14FTV ME: Firmware, Backup, Restore, Conversion, Troubleshooting9 lessons
  15. 15FactoryTalk View SE and Newer ME Features6 lessons
  16. 16Final 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

Practise the design rules behind a good HMI: build an ISA-101 style overview that stays grey until something is wrong, and set alarms that do not flood.

Works alongside HMI Design and Programming: Siemens WinCC and FactoryTalk View ME. The Lab is process control 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
Process control: Tune a real process loop.

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 HMI Design and Programming: Siemens WinCC and FactoryTalk View ME

Credits

Who made the lessons

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

  • PCC | A GCG Company

    the Siemens WinCC TIA Portal HMI training series

  • TechJourneyHub

    the WinCC flexible 2008 and WinCC TIA tutorials

  • Rockwell Automation

    the official PanelView Plus and FactoryTalk View ME videos

  • PLCprogrammer

    the FactoryTalk View Studio lessons and HMI fundamentals

  • RealPars

    4 lessons in "What an HMI Is and How to Choose One" and "Final Assessment"

  • PCC

    20 lessons in "Siemens WinCC: Project, Templates, Connection, Tags", "Siemens Screens and Animation", "Siemens Alarms, Trends, Recipes", "Siemens Users, Scripting, Libraries, Languages" and "Siemens Transfer, Media, Cross References, Analog"

  • PLCGurus.NET

    3 lessons in "FactoryTalk View: Install, Tour, Activation, First ME Application"

  • OnlineAutomationClass.com

    2 lessons in "FactoryTalk View: Install, Tour, Activation, First ME Application"

  • Dan Staifer

    a lesson in "FTV ME: Hello World to Alarms and Animation"

  • PLC Automation Training

    2 lessons in "FTV ME: Security and 21 CFR Part 11" and "FTV ME: Firmware, Backup, Restore, Conversion, Troubleshooting"

  • James Cash

    a lesson in "FTV ME: Security and 21 CFR Part 11"

  • IIOT+

    a lesson in "FTV ME: Recipes, ActiveX and Macros"

  • Ranjithkumar Karuppiya

    a lesson in "FactoryTalk View SE and Newer ME Features"

  • Shane Welcher SR

    a lesson in "FactoryTalk View SE and Newer ME Features"

Questions

About this course

Do I need panels?
No. WinCC runtime simulation and FactoryTalk View's test mode run every exercise on the PC.
Why two vendors in one course?
Because the design principles are the same and many plants run both. Learning both makes the principles visible and doubles your employability.
Which versions?
TIA Portal V16 to V19 with WinCC Comfort/Advanced; FactoryTalk View ME v10 to v13. Older versions are close enough for the material.
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 Siemens or 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 Siemens, Rockwell or any vendor 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.
How long does the course take?
Plan on about 18 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the sixteen modules at your own speed.

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