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EDWartens UK

Free course · PLC programming

Siemens TIA Portal in Three Hours

The first three hours of the Siemens TIA Portal course, cut to end on a win: what a PLC is, how it is wired, a project configured in TIA Portal, and your first ladder program running in simulation. Finish it in an evening or two, earn a certificate, and carry straight on into the full course.

See the modules

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

Level
Beginner
Modules
9
Video
6 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Explain what a PLC does and how it scans, wire a sinking or sourcing sensor correctly, create and configure an S7-1200 project in TIA Portal, address inputs and outputs through a tag table, download to S7-PLCSIM, and write and prove a start/stop seal-in rung with contacts and coils.

  • Explain what a PLC does, where it sits in the automation pyramid and why it replaced the relay panel
  • Describe the scan cycle and the process image, and say what happens to a signal shorter than one scan
  • Wire a sinking or sourcing sensor to an S7-1200 input without guessing, and say what fail-safe means
  • Create a TIA Portal project, pick the right CPU order number and set its IP address
  • Read and write I, Q and M addresses and build a tag table with symbolic names
  • Download to S7-PLCSIM and prove a start/stop seal-in rung by forcing inputs and watching the coil

Software

TIA Portal V17+ (21-day trial) with S7-PLCSIM. Modules 1 to 3 need no software.

Hardware

None, everything runs in simulation

Syllabus

9 modules

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

  1. 1What Automation Is, and What a PLC Actually Does2 lessons
  2. 2Inside the PLC, Hardware and the Scan Cycle2 lessons
  3. 3Wiring Basics, Sinking, Sourcing and 24 V DC1 lessonLab
  4. 4Meet Siemens and TIA Portal4 lessons
  5. 5Your First Project and Hardware Configuration2 lessons
  6. 6Addressing, Inputs, Outputs and Memory3 lessons
  7. 7Simulation, Running a PLC You Do Not Own1 lessonLab
  8. 8Contacts and Coils, The Two Symbols That Matter3 lessonsLab
  9. 9Final 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 Siemens TIA Portal in Three Hours. 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 Siemens TIA Portal in Three Hours

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

How is this different from the full Siemens TIA Portal course?
It is the first eight modules of that course, the same lessons in the same order, with its own short final assessment and its own certificate. The full course goes on to timers, counters, analog scaling, function blocks and a WinCC HMI screen over 22 modules. This one stops at the point where you have written and proven your first ladder rung, which takes about three hours of video. If you finish it and want more, you continue into the full course from module 9 and nothing is repeated.
Why would I take the short one rather than the full course?
Because most people who start a 22-module course never reach the end, and the certificate is earned at the end. This course gets a working program and a certificate into your hands in an evening or two. It is also the honest test of whether PLC work suits you before you give it six weeks.
Do I need to buy TIA Portal?
No. Siemens publishes a free 21-day trial of TIA Portal with S7-PLCSIM included, and it needs only a free Siemens account to download. Modules 1 to 3 need no software at all, so do those first and install before module 4.
Do I need a real PLC?
No. Every exercise runs in S7-PLCSIM, the simulator included in the trial. Nothing in this course assumes you have hardware.
What kind of computer do I need?
A 64-bit Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise machine (the current TIA Portal V21 no longer supports Windows 10 Pro; older versions such as V17 still install on Windows 10) with 8 GB of RAM, around 50 GB free on the drive, and administrator rights to install. TIA Portal does not run on macOS or Linux natively; a Windows virtual machine works if it is given enough memory.
Is the course really free?
Yes. Every module, every practice task and the final assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessment can be marked. The only paid item is the certificate, and only if you decide you want it.
What certificate do I get, and is it a Siemens qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion for the starter course, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a unique number anyone can verify on our site. It is not a Siemens credential and we will never describe it as one.

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