Electrical Automation Course

Lesson 1 • Core Electrical Concepts and Units

Covers voltage, current, resistance, and power relationships. Establishes the quantitative language used throughout all subsequent electrical and automation topics.

Lesson 2 • Personal Protective Equipment and Lockout

Covers selection and use of PPE and energy isolation procedures. Ensures students can de-energise equipment safely before any hands-on installation task.

Lesson 3 • Regulatory Compliance and Wiring Standards

Introduces wiring standards, inspection requirements, and documentation obligations. Provides the compliance framework referenced in every installation chapter.

Lesson 1 • Conductor Selection and Cable Types

Covers conductor sizing, insulation ratings, and cable classifications. Correct conductor selection underpins safe current-carrying capacity in all installations.

Lesson 2 • Terminations, Joints, and Testing

Teaches correct termination methods, jointing techniques, and continuity testing. Quality terminations prevent faults and are verified before energising any circuit.

Lesson 3 • Series, Parallel, and Combination Circuits

Analyses voltage, current, and resistance in each circuit topology. Understanding circuit behaviour is essential for troubleshooting and load calculations later.

Lesson 4 • Conduit, Trunking, and Cable Management

Covers installation of conduit, cable trays, and trunking systems. Proper cable management protects conductors and meets inspection requirements.

Lesson 1 • Overcurrent and Short-Circuit Protection

Explains fuse and circuit breaker operation, breaking capacity, and coordination. Correct protection sizing prevents equipment damage and ensures personnel safety.

Lesson 2 • Surge Protection and Power Quality

Introduces transient voltage surge suppressors and power quality issues. Surge protection safeguards sensitive automation equipment installed in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Residual Current and Ground Fault Protection

Covers RCD/GFCI operation, sensitivity levels, and installation requirements. These devices provide the last line of defence against shock and leakage faults.

Lesson 4 • Distribution Board Layout and Design

Covers single-phase and three-phase board layouts, busbar arrangements, and load scheduling. Board design integrates all protection and metering components installed later.

Lesson 1 • AC and DC Motor Principles

Covers induction, synchronous, and DC motor operating principles and nameplate data. Motor theory provides the basis for selecting and protecting motors correctly.

Lesson 2 • Control Circuit Logic and Ladder Diagrams

Introduces ladder diagram notation, seal-in circuits, and interlock logic. Ladder logic is the bridge between hardwired control and PLC programming covered later.

Lesson 3 • Motor Protection Devices

Explains thermal overload relays, motor circuit breakers, and thermistor protection. Proper protection prevents motor burnout and unplanned downtime.

Lesson 4 • Reduced-Voltage Starting Methods

Covers star-delta, autotransformer, and soft-starter methods for limiting inrush current. Reduced-voltage starting protects supply systems and mechanical loads.

Lesson 1 • Signal Conditioning and Isolation

Teaches signal amplification, filtering, scaling, and galvanic isolation modules. Conditioned signals ensure accurate, noise-free inputs to automation controllers.

Lesson 2 • Sensor Wiring and Troubleshooting

Covers multi-conductor cable routing, connector types, and fault diagnosis for sensor circuits. Reliable sensor wiring is prerequisite to stable PLC and automation operation.

Lesson 3 • Flow, Level, and Speed Sensors

Covers flow meters, level switches, ultrasonic sensors, and encoders. These sensors extend automation capability to fluid and motion control applications.

Lesson 4 • Proximity and Position Sensors

Covers inductive, capacitive, magnetic, and optical proximity sensors and their wiring. Position sensing is the most common automation input encountered in the field.

Lesson 1 • Program Structure and Data Management

Teaches programme organisation blocks, tag databases, and data types. Structured programmes are easier to debug, modify, and hand over to maintenance teams.

Lesson 2 • PLC Architecture and I/O Wiring

Explains CPU, power supply, and I/O module architecture and field wiring methods. Correct I/O wiring is the physical foundation of every PLC control system.

Lesson 3 • Ladder Logic Programming Fundamentals

Covers contacts, coils, timers, counters, and basic data instructions in ladder logic. These instructions form the core of most industrial PLC programmes.

Lesson 4 • PLC Commissioning and Fault Diagnosis

Covers online monitoring, force functions, and systematic fault-finding in PLC systems. Commissioning skills ensure reliable startup and reduce downtime in production.

Lesson 1 • Speed and Process Control with Drives

Covers analogue reference inputs, PID process control, and multi-speed preset operation. These features integrate drives into closed-loop automation systems.

Lesson 2 • Drive Parameter Configuration

Teaches motor nameplate entry, acceleration/deceleration ramps, and protection parameters. Correct parameter setup is required before any drive can be safely commissioned.

Lesson 3 • VFD Installation and Wiring

Covers power wiring, control terminal wiring, and EMC cable management for drives. Correct installation prevents interference and protects drive and motor insulation.

Lesson 4 • VFD Operating Principles and Selection

Explains rectifier, DC bus, and inverter stages and drive selection criteria. Understanding VFD topology enables correct sizing and application matching.

Lesson 1 • Handover, Documentation, and Maintenance Planning

Covers as-built drawings, operation manuals, spare parts lists, and preventive maintenance schedules. Complete documentation ensures long-term system reliability and compliance.

Lesson 2 • Control Panel Assembly and Wiring

Covers DIN rail layout, component mounting, wire numbering, and panel wiring standards. A professionally assembled panel is the physical core of any automation system.

Lesson 3 • HMI Design and Configuration

Teaches screen layout, tag linking, alarm management, and trend displays for operator panels. A well-designed HMI reduces operator error and speeds fault diagnosis.

Lesson 4 • System Integration and Loop Testing

Teaches I/O loop checks, network commissioning, and integrated functional testing. Systematic loop testing confirms every signal path before full system startup.