Siemens TIA Portal
From zero electrical knowledge to a working, simulated S7-1200 program, for nothing.
No payment. No card. Just an email address.
What you will be able to do
Configure an S7-1200, write ladder logic with timers, counters, comparators and analog scaling, structure it into reusable function blocks, drive a WinCC HMI screen, and prove all of it in simulation.
- Read a ladder rung and predict what the PLC will do with it
- Wire sinking and sourcing sensors to an S7-1200 without guessing
- Build timers, counters and comparators into working interlocks
- Scale a 4-20 mA analog input to real engineering units
- Structure a program into reusable function blocks instead of one long routine
- Drive a WinCC HMI screen and link it to live PLC tags
- Find a fault using the online monitor rather than by rewriting code
- Prove a complete program in S7-PLCSIM with no hardware at all
A shareable EDWartens certificate
Finish every module and pass the final assessment, and you can buy a certificate for ₹700. It carries a unique verification code on a public page anyone can check, so it stands up when a recruiter looks it up.
- Add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
- Link it from a CV or portfolio, the URL is permanent
- Publicly verifiable by code, not a PDF anyone can edit
- Issued by EDWartens India, the training centre itself
The course itself stays free whether or not you ever buy one.
Stuck? Ask a practising engineer
A free course usually means a comment section and hope. This one does not. Every module has an Ask-your-trainer panel that reaches the same engineers who teach our paid programme: people who commission panels for a living, not moderators.
- Questions answered in the context of the module you are on
- The same engineers who teach the AEP programme
- Career tools, CV help and public job listings included
- Your progress and notes stay in your account for good
Who it is for
Absolute beginner. No prior PLC, electrical or programming knowledge assumed.
Software you need
TIA Portal V17+ (21-day trial) with S7-PLCSIM
Hardware you need
None, everything runs in simulation
Syllabus
22 modules, in order, at whatever pace suits you. Each ends with a practice task that builds on the last.
- 1What Automation Is, and What a PLC Actually Does2 vid31m
- 2Inside the PLC — Hardware and the Scan Cycle2 vid17m
- 3Wiring Basics — Sinking, Sourcing and 24 V DC1 vid9m
- 4Meet Siemens and TIA Portal4 vid28m
- 5Your First Project and Hardware Configuration2 vid33m
- 6Addressing — Inputs, Outputs and Memory3 vid42m
- 7Simulation — Running a PLC You Do Not Own1 vid11m
- 8Contacts and Coils — The Two Symbols That Matter2 vid18m
- 9Logic Gates in Ladder Form2 vid43m
- 10Latching, Holding and Interlocks3 vid32m
- 11Putting It Together — Your First Real Program2 vid1h 3m
- 12Timers — TON, TOF, TP and TONR6 vid45m
- 13Counters — CTU, CTD and CTUD3 vid22m
- 14Set, Reset and Edge Detection2 vid23m
- 15Comparators — Making Decisions on Values6 vid50m
- 16Maths Instructions5 vid57m
- 17Moving and Converting Data3 vid26m
- 18Analog Signals and Scaling — The Skill Employers Test2 vid24m
- 19Program Control — Jump, Label and Return2 vid29m
- 20Functions and Function Blocks — Writing Reusable Code1 vid16m
- 21Your First HMI Screen2 vid15m
- 22Capstone Project and Final Assessment4 vid2h 19m
Common questions
Do I need to buy TIA Portal?
No. Siemens publishes a free 21-day trial of TIA Portal, and it is the full product for those 21 days: STEP 7 for the PLC, WinCC for the HMI screen, and S7-PLCSIM for simulation. You need a Siemens account to download it, which is also free.
The trial is 21 days. Is that enough for a 22-module course?
It is if you install it at the right moment. The trial clock starts when the software is installed, not when you first open it, so installing on day one wastes days you have not used. Modules 1 to 3 need no software at all, so do those first, then install before module 4. That leaves the full 21 days for modules 4 to 22, which is comfortable at about an hour a day. If the trial does run out before you finish, the remaining lessons still make sense to watch and the assessments do not require the software.
Do I need a real PLC?
No. Every exercise runs in S7-PLCSIM, the simulator included in the trial. A physical S7-1200 is useful later, but nothing in this course requires one and no exercise assumes you have one.
What kind of computer do I need?
A 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 machine 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; people do run it in a Windows virtual machine, but give the VM plenty of memory or it will be painful.
I have no electrical background. Is that a problem?
No, and the first three modules exist for exactly that reason. They cover what a PLC is, what the scan cycle means, what 24 V DC is, and how sinking and sourcing inputs differ, before any software is opened.
Is the course really free?
Yes. Every module, every practice task and every assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and so the assessments 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?
It is an EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, and it carries a unique number anyone can verify on our site. It is not a Siemens credential and we will never describe it as one. Siemens issues its own certifications separately, and no third party can award them.
Will this course get me a job?
On its own, no course will. What it gives you is a program you wrote and can talk through in an interview, which is more than most freshers bring. It covers the Siemens fundamentals that appear in almost every automation job advert in India, and it is a reasonable way to find out whether the work suits you before paying for anything.
About the video lessons. Every lesson streams from its creator's own YouTube channel, and EDWartens neither hosts nor sells that footage. Lessons are credited to Instrumentation Tools and ControlByte Automation, who are not affiliated with EDWartens and do not endorse this course. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments. The course is free to read without an account, and free to take with one.