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Free PLC Programming Lessons for PLCLogix 500 & 5000
A hands-on PLC simulator lab from your first rung to complete industrial control projects
Learn PLC programming by building and testing working control programs. This free lesson series starts with the PLCLogix workspace and basic ladder logic, then progresses through scan-cycle behavior, FIFO data handling, sequencers, shift registers, timers, counters, subroutines, and multi-mode industrial control.
The lessons were originally developed for the PLCLogix 500 training simulator. They can also be used with the PLCLogix 5000 training simulator to practice the same core ladder-logic and troubleshooting concepts, with software, addressing, and interface differences where applicable.
Simulator access is required to complete these labs. The lessons teach Rockwell Automation RSLogix 500- and RSLogix 5000-style PLC programming concepts, but the hands-on exercises depend on the I/O racks and simulated industrial environments built into the PLCLogix 500 and PLCLogix 5000 training simulators.
If you do not already have a simulator, see the PLCLogix 500 Simulator or the PLCLogix 5000 Simulator.
PLC Lab at a Glance
How This PLC Programming Lab Works
This is not a multiple-choice course where you read a page and take a test. Each lesson gives you a practical PLC programming objective and walks you through the tools, instructions, addressing, and simulator functions needed to complete it.
Your working PLC program is the assessment. Build the logic, go online with the simulator, operate the inputs, observe the outputs, and confirm that the simulated machine or process behaves as intended.
PLC Programming Lesson Syllabus
The sequence begins with the software workspace and a single input/output rung, then moves toward complete simulated industrial applications. You can return to this hub at any time and continue with the next project.
Getting Started With PLCLogix 500
Create a new controller file, explore the PLCLogix workspace, add the 2D I/O Rack, place ladder instructions, address physical I/O, save the program, upload it, go online, and test a simple toggle-switch/green-bulb circuit. You will need the PLCLogix 500 or PLCLogix 5000 simulator installed to complete the hands-on work.
Focus: software navigation, I/O environment, XIC/OTE basics, addressing, saving, uploading, online operation, testing.
PLC Programming Basics: Start/Stop Latch and Alarm Bypass
Build a basic latch circuit using Start and Stop pushbuttons, a green output lamp, and an alarm circuit with two bypass switches. Then test the program, identify incorrect behavior, edit the ladder logic, and verify the corrected operation.
Focus: branches, seal-in/latch logic, XIC/XIO, OTE, physical I/O setup, editing, troubleshooting, testing.
PLCLogix Programming Tools and Features
Learn several PLCLogix features that make programming and troubleshooting easier: Instruction Help, multiple windows, the Project Tree, Processor Status, and the Custom Data Monitor.
Focus: instruction reference, project navigation, status data, binary views, live data monitoring and trends.
Understanding the PLC Scan Cycle
Examine how the processor updates the input image table, executes ladder logic, and updates physical outputs. Work through a two-scan example and use Single Scan/Step Mode to observe program execution one scan at a time.
Focus: input image, ladder execution order, output image, scan implications, single-scan troubleshooting.
FIFO Event Recorder
Create an event recorder capable of storing and replaying a sequence of event data. Record data words into an integer-file stack, inspect the stored values, then play them back manually or automatically at timed intervals.
Focus: FFL/FFU FIFO instructions, integer files, TON timing, manual playback, automatic playback, data stacks.
Stationary Carwash Sequencer
Program a complete stationary carwash using sequencer instructions for output states and cycle timing. Add an output buffer, test each wash stage, and then run the program with the simulator's 3D Stationary Carwash environment.
Focus: SQO sequencers, integer data tables, output buffering, timers, cycle steps, 3D I/O world.
Scrap Bottle Grinder and Defect Tracking
Build a bottle-line scrap routine that detects damaged bottles, tracks their position down the conveyor, diverts the scrap, operates a grinder, counts processed bottles, and replaces the collection box when needed.
Focus: BSR shift register, defect tracking, diverters, timers, counters, conveyor control, 3D process simulation.
Dual Air Compressor Control
Design a multi-mode dual-compressor application that maintains tank pressure, calls an assist compressor when demand increases, tracks compressor usage, balances primary/secondary operation, resets service totals, and initializes program memory.
Focus: subroutines, JSR/RET, TON/RTO, CTU, comparison logic, MOV, latch/unlatch, first-scan initialization, operating modes.
Using the Lessons With PLCLogix 500 or PLCLogix 5000
The lesson documents were developed around the PLCLogix 500 simulator, so its menus, SLC-style addressing, I/O Rack, and simulated environments are the primary reference shown in the instructions.
The same lesson sequence can also be used to practice with the PLCLogix 5000 simulator. The underlying PLC concepts—contacts and coils, branches, timers, counters, sequencers, program flow, data handling, scan behavior, and troubleshooting—remain useful. Where the software or addressing differs, use the equivalent PLCLogix 5000 element while working toward the same control objective.
PLCLogix 500 and PLCLogix 5000 are training simulators designed to provide hands-on practice with Rockwell Automation RSLogix 500- and RSLogix 5000-style PLC programming. The industrial simulations used in these labs are supplied by the PLCLogix simulators, so RSLogix programming software alone does not provide the simulated equipment needed to complete the exercises as written.
For Schools, Instructors, and Corporate Training Programs
Use the lessons online or request the instructor package
Schools and companies that purchase multiple PLCLogix 500 simulator installations from BIN95 can use these lessons in whichever format works best for their training program.
- Send students or employees to this free online lesson hub and have them work through the assigned lab directly from the website.
- Request printable PDF versions for classroom handouts, offline reference, or inclusion with an instructor-led course.
- Request the pre-built PLCLogix 500 example program files used with the lessons for instructor demonstration, comparison, or classroom support.
The pre-built example/solution programs are provided to qualifying school and corporate customers by request and are not posted publicly with the student lessons.
If an instructor or supervisor assigns one of these labs, save your completed PLC program when finished so you can submit or share your work with them.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Free PLC Lessons
Where can I find free PLC programming lessons?
These free PLC programming lessons provide a structured hands-on sequence from basic ladder logic and I/O through scan-cycle behavior, FIFO data handling, sequencers, shift registers, timers, counters, subroutines, and industrial control projects. The lessons are free to read online; hands-on exercises require access to a compatible PLC simulator or training setup.
Can these free PLC lessons be used with LogixPro?
Yes. The early lessons—especially the basic ladder-logic, I/O, programming-tool, and scan-cycle exercises—can be adapted to LogixPro, now Professor Bill's LadderLab, with minor addressing or interface differences if you already know how to use LogixPro. Later lessons use advanced simulated industrial environments available in PLCLogix 500 and PLCLogix 5000, so those exercises require an equivalent simulation environment.
Do I need PLCLogix 500 or PLCLogix 5000 to take the lessons?
The lesson series was developed around the PLCLogix 500 training simulator and can also be completed with PLCLogix 5000 using the equivalent addressing and interface features. The later projects rely on simulated industrial environments included with those simulators.
Can I use these lessons with another PLC simulator or a real PLC?
Many of the fundamental exercises can be adapted to other ladder-logic simulators or a bench PLC by translating the I/O addressing and instructions. The advanced lessons that use the carwash, bottling line, and dual-air-compressor environments require comparable simulations.
Are these PLC lessons suitable for beginners?
Yes, although someone completely new to PLCs will benefit from first learning basic PLC terminology, ladder logic, inputs and outputs, and addressing. The sequence then progresses from Getting Started through increasingly advanced programming projects.
Can instructors use these free PLC lessons for classroom or employee training?
Yes. Schools and companies can send students or employees directly to the free online lessons. Qualifying school and corporate customers can also request PDF lesson versions and pre-built PLCLogix 500 example programs for classroom use.
Do the lessons include tests or quizzes?
These are hands-on PLC labs rather than multiple-choice lessons. The student's completed PLC program and the correct behavior of the simulated machine or process serve as the assessment. If an instructor or supervisor assigns a lesson, students should save and share their completed PLC program.
Start the PLC Programming Lab
New to PLC programming? Start with the Allen-Bradley PLC Programming Course to learn the PLC fundamentals, then return here for the hands-on simulator labs.
Already know PLC fundamentals but are new to the PLCLogix simulator? Begin with the Getting Started guide. You will create a new program, add the simulator I/O environment, build your first rung, go online, and prove that your input controls the intended output.