Learning path · Free · No card
Control theory to the loop
MATLAB and Simulink for the theory, PID control for the practice, instrumentation for the signals and VFDs for the actuators.
Step 1Control engineeringIntermediateMATLAB and Simulink for Control Systems
Control engineering with the tools engineers actually use: the MATLAB and Simulink environment, transfer functions and block diagrams, time response, stability with Routh-Hurwitz and root locus, frequency response with Bode, Nyquist and Nichols, loop shaping, PID design and tuning, feedforward, gain scheduling and delays, state space, pole placement, LQR and observers, physical modelling and system identification, Simulink for electrical engineers, and implementation in discrete time.
- Use MATLAB and Simulink for modelling and simulation
- Analyse transfer functions, time response and stability
- Read Bode, Nyquist and Nichols plots and shape loops
Step 2Process controlIntermediatePID Control for PLC Engineers
From on/off to a tuned loop: what P, I and D each do, how to tune by hand and by rule, anti-windup and filtering, and PID inside Allen-Bradley controllers.
- Explain why on/off control cannot hold a setpoint on a fast process
- Wire a loop's transmitter and final element on Micro800 and MicroLogix
- Predict what raising gain, shortening reset or adding rate does to a loop
Step 3InstrumentationBeginnerIndustrial Instrumentation and Process Control
Pressure, level, flow and temperature measurement, switches and sensors, 4-20 mA loops and the calculations, control valves, P&IDs, HART and smart transmitters, calibration, and how instruments meet the PLC, DCS and SCADA.
- Tell open-loop from closed-loop and name every part of a control loop
- Explain absolute, gauge and differential pressure and the instruments that measure them
- Choose a level and a flow technology for a service and say why
Step 4DrivesBeginnerVariable Frequency Drives: Wiring, Programming, PLC and Network Control
Power wiring, keypad and terminal control, analog and preset speed references, relay outputs, PLC and Modbus control, fieldbus, safety functions and troubleshooting, on a generic drive and the Schneider ATV320.
- Explain V/F against vector control and VFD against soft starter and servo
- Wire a drive on single-phase or three-phase supply, with shielding and earthing
- Set motor nameplate and basic parameters from the keypad
How the path works
Join the path and every course is added to your account at once, each with its own progress, notes, quizzes and final. Take them in the order shown: each assumes the one before. Module quizzes are five plain questions and the final is twenty, pass mark 50%, with unlimited retries, so the assessment checks that you followed the lessons rather than testing exam nerves.
Questions
- Is the Control theory to the loop free?
- Yes. Every course in the path is free in full: lessons, notes, practice tasks and assessments. Joining the path adds all of them to your account in one step. The only paid item is the optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion for each course.
- In what order should I take the courses?
- In the order listed: each course assumes the one before it. Every course keeps its own progress, quizzes and certificate, so you can also take one on its own.
- Do I get one certificate for the whole path?
- Certificates are per course, issued when you pass that course's final assessment and bought only if you want them. Finishing every course in a path gives you one certificate per course.