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EDWartens UK

Free course · Electrical

Industrial Motor Control

Free beginner motor control course: read ladder diagrams, wire starters, build reversing and braking circuits. The certificate is optional and paid.

See the modules

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

Level
Beginner
Modules
12
Video
25 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Read and draw motor control ladder diagrams, select contactors, overloads, fuses and breakers, wire manual and magnetic starters with two-wire, three-wire and HOA control, build reversing, jogging and braking circuits with interlocks, apply reduced-voltage and soft starting, use on-delay, off-delay, one-shot and recycle timers, and test and troubleshoot motor circuits safely.

  • Select contactors, relays, overloads, fuses, breakers and transformers
  • Read and document motor control ladder diagrams
  • Wire manual and magnetic starters with two-wire, three-wire and HOA control
  • Build reversing, jogging and braking circuits with interlocks
  • Apply reduced-voltage and soft starting and motor-control timers
  • Test motors and troubleshoot control circuits

Software

None required.

Hardware

None required. A motor control trainer board with a contactor, overload and push buttons makes every wiring lesson real.

Syllabus

12 modules

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

  1. 1Electrically Controlled Systems and the Trainer2 lessons
  2. 2Contactors, Relays, Overloads and Protection8 lessons
  3. 3Switches, Ladder Logic and Documentation6 lessons
  4. 4Manual Motor Starters4 lessons
  5. 5Magnetic Starters: Two-Wire, Three-Wire and Hand-Off-Auto7 lessonsLab
  6. 6Pumping Circuits and Control Panels6 lessonsLab
  7. 7Jogging, Reversing and Interlocks6 lessonsLab
  8. 8Braking: Plugging, Friction and DC Injection4 lessons
  9. 9Reduced-Voltage Starting and Soft Starters6 lessonsLab
  10. 10Timers in Motor Control7 lessonsLab
  11. 11Testing and Troubleshooting3 lessons
  12. 12Final 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

Build the seal-in, interlock, timer and changeover logic you learn in relay circuits as ladder on working machines, then pass the lab's test.

Works alongside Industrial Motor Control. 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 Industrial Motor Control

Credits

Who made the lessons

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

  • Jim Pytel

    the motor control lectures and wiring labs

  • anthony poole

    the motor controls 101 playlist

  • betechnical.ca

    a lesson in "Switches, Ladder Logic and Documentation"

  • RealPars

    2 lessons in "Reduced-Voltage Starting and Soft Starters"

Questions

About this course

What is a motor starter?
A motor starter is a switching device that starts and stops a motor and, with an overload relay, protects it from sustained overcurrent. The international product standard for them is IEC 60947-4-1, which the IEC describes as covering electromechanical contactors and motor-starters for circuits whose rated voltage does not exceed 1,000 V AC or 1,500 V DC. This course covers manual and magnetic starters, overloads, reduced-voltage starting and soft starters, and shows how each is wired and tested.
What jobs use motor control skills?
Electricians, maintenance technicians and controls engineers all use motor control, because starters, contactors and interlocks sit in almost every machine. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics lists repairing control systems and motors among electricians' duties and reports a median annual wage for electricians of $63,190 in May 2025. It also projects employment of electricians to grow 9 percent from 2025 to 2035. Motor control is also the groundwork for PLC programming, which is why this course comes before the PLC courses.
Should I take this before the PLC courses?
Yes. Every PLC output ends in a contactor, and every ladder program is this course in software.
Do I need a trainer board?
No, but the lectures wire one and following along on a bench is the fastest way to learn.
Which mains voltages does it use?
The lectures are North American; the notes translate them to 400/415 V three-phase (IEC) practice and the control voltages used outside North America.
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 vendor qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a 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 25 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the twelve modules at your own speed.

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