AUTO 101: Reviewing basic control systems from scratch, Relay ladder logic, relay diagrams, P&IDs, control narratives, and more.
Do you want to try industrial automation without paying for it? Get a taste of industrial control design and review with a short course that covers more than just using one PLC, or setting up a single drive! Most of what I have seen online is great IF you know exactly what you are looking for. There are excellent classes that go in-depth for diagrams (electrical or piping and instrumentation), just as there are great classes in PLC programming and setup. What I have struggled to find is a class that touches on these topics in a concise manner.
Start with reviewing very basic relay logic diagrams, then compare and contrast these to the same implementation in a PLC: RLL, or relay ladder logic. After that, review the documentation supplied by engineers: P&IDs (that is PIPING and INSTRUMENTATION DIAGRAMS, not PROPORTIONAL, INTEGRAL, DERIVATIVE) and control narratives. See examples of the format expected in an industrial setting. You will then learn to implement the skills you have learned with a (free and legal) trial version of software used by professionals around the world- Siemens TIA Portal! (Ideally, the student will be using that software while they work… Allowing for an immersive experience.) Finally, learn to avoid common pitfalls in writing a controlled narrative. These all come from nearly a decade of experience in various automation positions.
