PLC Programmer Course

Lesson 1 • Safety and Regulatory Basics

Introduces electrical safety practices and functional safety standards relevant to PLC environments. Ensures students work safely before touching any live equipment.

Lesson 2 • Types of PLC Systems

Compares compact, modular, and rack-based PLC families by scale and application. Guides students in selecting the right platform for a given automation task.

Lesson 3 • What Is a PLC?

Defines PLCs, their history, and how they replaced relay-based control systems. Establishes the conceptual baseline for all subsequent programming topics.

Lesson 4 • PLC Hardware Components

Identifies CPU, power supply, I/O modules, and communication ports. Understanding hardware is prerequisite to wiring and configuring any PLC system.

Lesson 1 • Analog I/O Wiring and Scaling

Explains 4–20 mA and 0–10 V signal wiring for sensors and control devices. Students wire and verify analog channels before applying software scaling.

Lesson 2 • I/O Addressing and Module Configuration

Maps physical terminal positions to software I/O addresses using manufacturer conventions. Accurate addressing prevents logic errors in all subsequent programming exercises.

Lesson 3 • Wiring Digital Input Modules

Demonstrates sourcing and sinking wiring topologies for discrete input devices. Students connect pushbuttons, limit switches, and proximity sensors to input terminals.

Lesson 4 • Wiring Digital Output Modules

Covers relay, transistor, and triac output module wiring for loads such as motors and solenoids. Builds competency in protecting outputs with fusing and suppression.

Lesson 1 • Ladder Diagram Language Overview

Introduces rungs, rails, contacts, and coils as the building blocks of ladder logic. Connects relay schematic conventions to their software equivalents in the PLC editor.

Lesson 2 • Seal-In and Latching Circuits

Implements self-holding circuits using seal-in contacts and latch/unlatch coils. These patterns form the basis of motor start-stop and alarm control logic.

Lesson 3 • Timer Instructions

Programs on-delay, off-delay, and retentive timers to control time-based sequences. Timer mastery is required for conveyor, mixing, and process control applications.

Lesson 4 • Counter Instructions

Uses count-up, count-down, and count-up/down instructions to track events and quantities. Students apply counters to batch control and production counting scenarios.

Lesson 1 • Move and Copy Instructions

Programs MOV, COPY, and block-move instructions to transfer data between registers. These instructions underlie recipe management and parameter-loading routines.

Lesson 2 • Arithmetic Instructions

Programs ADD, SUB, MUL, DIV, and MOD instructions for in-PLC calculations. Students compute flow totals, efficiency ratios, and engineering-unit conversions.

Lesson 3 • Comparison Instructions

Uses EQU, NEQ, LES, GRT, LEQ, and GEQ instructions to trigger logic based on numeric conditions. Comparison instructions enable setpoint-based and alarm-threshold control.

Lesson 4 • PLC Memory and Data Types

Explains bit, byte, integer, real, and string data types and their memory organization. Correct data type selection prevents overflow errors in all data-handling programs.

Lesson 1 • User-Defined Function Blocks

Builds reusable function blocks with defined inputs, outputs, and internal state. Encapsulation enables consistent reuse of motor, valve, and PID control templates.

Lesson 2 • Program Documentation Standards

Applies naming conventions, rung comments, and tag descriptions to produce self-documenting programs. Proper documentation reduces commissioning time and supports long-term maintenance.

Lesson 3 • Subroutines and Jump Instructions

Creates subroutines called conditionally or unconditionally to modularize ladder programs. Subroutines reduce code duplication and simplify troubleshooting in large programs.

Lesson 4 • Program Execution and Scan Cycle

Explains the PLC scan cycle: input scan, program execution, and output scan phases. Understanding scan order is critical for writing deterministic, bug-free control logic.

Lesson 1 • Analog Signal Processing in the PLC

Scales raw analog counts to engineering units using linear scaling instructions. Accurate scaling is the prerequisite for reliable PID and alarm setpoint comparisons.

Lesson 2 • Alarm and Limit Monitoring for Analog Loops

Programs high, low, high-high, and low-low alarms on process variables using comparison logic. Alarm management protects equipment and triggers operator notifications automatically.

Lesson 3 • PID Tuning Methods

Applies open-loop step test and Ziegler-Nichols methods to calculate initial PID gains. Students iteratively refine gains to achieve stable, responsive loop performance.

Lesson 4 • Configuring the PID Instruction Block

Sets up the PLC manufacturer's PID instruction with correct mode, setpoint, and output limits. Students configure both position and velocity form PID algorithms.

Lesson 1 • Ethernet-Based Industrial Protocols

Sets up EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP, and PROFINET connections for high-speed device integration. Students configure IP addressing, connection parameters, and data mapping tables.

Lesson 2 • Serial Communication Protocols

Configures RS-232 and RS-485 serial links using Modbus RTU for device communication. Students read and write Modbus registers between a PLC and a variable-frequency drive.

Lesson 3 • OPC-UA and SCADA Integration

Connects PLC data to SCADA and MES systems using OPC-UA server configuration. Students map PLC tags to OPC-UA nodes and verify data flow to a supervisory client.

Lesson 4 • Industrial Network Fundamentals

Covers OSI model layers relevant to industrial networks, topologies, and media types. Provides the networking vocabulary needed to configure any PLC communication protocol.

Lesson 1 • Systematic Troubleshooting Methodology

Introduces a structured fault-isolation process: observe, hypothesize, test, and verify. A repeatable methodology reduces mean time to repair across all PLC system types.

Lesson 2 • Logic and Program Error Diagnosis

Identifies incorrect rung logic, timer/counter errors, and data type mismatches causing unexpected behavior. Students correct program bugs using structured test cases and simulation.

Lesson 3 • Hardware Fault Diagnosis

Diagnoses failed I/O modules, blown fuses, wiring faults, and power supply issues using meters and indicators. Students replace and verify modules without disrupting unaffected system sections.

Lesson 4 • System Commissioning and Acceptance Testing

Executes a commissioning sequence: pre-power checks, I/O verification, dry-run, and live acceptance test. Students produce a commissioning checklist and sign-off documentation package.