EDWartens Lab
The EDWartens Lab is a set of free engineering simulators that run in your browser. You program a PLC, wire and prove dead a panel, tune a process loop or teach a robot, and each task is marked by a test. Nothing to install, and UK learners can open it signed in from their portal.
Inside the Lab
Nine labs
Each lab is a different part of industry. Watch the clip, see what you practise, then open it.
Program a PLC and see it run.
You practise
Related jobs: PLC programmer, Controls engineer, Maintenance engineer.
Wire a real control panel in 3D.
You practise
Related jobs: Panel builder, Electrical technician, Commissioning engineer.
Work a real substation and MCC switchroom.
You practise
Related jobs: Maintenance electrician, Electrical engineer, Plant technician.
Tune a real process loop.
You practise
Related jobs: Instrumentation technician, Process control engineer, Commissioning technician.
Teach a robot arm to pick and place.
You practise
Related jobs: Robot technician, Automation engineer, Machine commissioning engineer.
Run an AI data hall.
You practise
Related jobs: Data-centre technician, Critical facilities engineer, Electrical engineer.
Defend a plant network.
You practise
Related jobs: OT security analyst, Controls engineer, Network technician.
Build and check AI models.
You practise
Related jobs: Industrial data analyst, AI engineer, Reliability engineer.
Commission a solar and EV charging site.
You practise
Related jobs: Solar installer, EV charger engineer, Electrical technician.
Free simulators by tool
These single-purpose simulators are free and run on lab.edwartens.com. The labs above group them by job.
All 19 marked PLC exercises in one list, from motor start/stop to a bottling line.
Open it free (opens in a new tab)Write ladder, Structured Text or SFC and test it on a running plant model.
Open it free (opens in a new tab)Build rungs, watch them energise and run the factory acceptance test.
Open it free (opens in a new tab)DOL, star-delta and forward/reverse starters: wire the panel and program the PLC.
Open it free (opens in a new tab)Practise safe isolation, testing and electrical fault finding: lock out, prove dead, measure and repair.
Open it free (opens in a new tab)An IEC 61131-3 simulator that runs against a live plant model.
Open it free (opens in a new tab)Want a full project rather than one exercise? Job simulations use the Lab for their hands-on tickets, and engineering job simulations start free.
Skills in action
Short clips of single skills you will practise: proving dead, going online, teaching a robot and isolating a motor.
How learners use it
The Lab sits inside the courses, so you do not have to hunt for something to practise on.
Each stage of the live course points to the lab that matches it, so you practise on the same day you learn.
See the Professional ModuleFree PLC, electrical and AI courses link to the labs, so you can try the tool before you pay for anything.
Browse free coursesWork through a day in a simulated UK workplace, with the Lab as the place you do the hands-on task.
Try a job simulationEvidence of practice
A claim on a CV is easy to make. The Lab leaves a record of what you did.
Lab exercises and job simulations are practice, not employment or work experience with an employer.
Questions
It is a set of simulators that run in your web browser. Each one puts you in a real engineering task, such as programming a PLC, wiring and proving dead a control panel, or tuning a process loop, with a brief to read and a result at the end.
Yes, you can try it free. Open it without an account and your work is saved on your device. Learners on a paid EDWartens UK course can open it from their portal, so their progress sits with their course.
No. It runs in a current browser on a laptop or desktop. There is no software to download and no licence to buy.
It is a simulation. The ladder logic, wiring, measurements and safety steps behave the way the real thing does, so you build the right habits. It does not replace time on real equipment, and it is practice, not employment.
Sign in to your portal and use the Lab links in your course. They open the Lab signed in for you. If that is not possible for any reason, you still get the Lab, signed out, and your work is saved on your device only.
Maintenance, controls, PLC, commissioning and panel-building roles, plus newer ones in data centres, OT security, AI for industry and solar and EV charging. Each lab on this page lists the jobs it relates to.
No. Open a lab without an account and your work is saved on your device. Sign in from your learner portal if you want your progress to sit with your course.
Without an account, on your device only, so clearing your browser data removes it. Learners who open the Lab from their portal have their progress saved with their course.
No. The Lab is where you practise a single skill, such as proving a panel dead or writing a ladder rung. A job simulation is a week or more of tickets, documents and emails for one role at a simulated company, and its hands-on tickets are finished in the Lab. Both are practice, not employment.
Open the PLC lab, build a rung and see it run. It takes a few minutes and costs nothing.
