Free virtual PLC lab. Real machines in 3D.

A virtual PLC lab is software that lets you write a PLC program and test it on a simulated machine, with no hardware. EDWartens Lab is a free one that runs in your browser: you write ladder, Structured Text or SFC, press Simulate, and a 3D plant answers. A factory acceptance test then marks your work.

Yes. EDWartens Lab is free to open and use in a browser, with 23 PLC levels and 153 levels across all its labs. You can start without an account. Only optional extras, such as an engineer review of your report, are paid. The lab is in beta.

Yes. The PLC lab gives you a client brief, an I/O list and a simulated machine such as a motor, a conveyor, a tank or a pump, so you can write a program and watch it work. Real hardware still teaches wiring and commissioning on site, so use the lab to get the logic right first.

No. The lab uses its own PLC engine in the browser. Nothing is installed and no licence or PLC is needed. You can view a program in a Siemens-style or a Rockwell-style layout, which is useful practice before you move to those tools.

Ladder logic, Structured Text and Sequential Function Chart, the IEC 61131-3 languages. They share one studio, so you can try the same job in more than one language. The lab covers these three, not every part of the standard.

Each level ends with a numbered factory acceptance test (FAT). It runs your program against the simulated machine and checks its behaviour, test by test, and some values are drawn per learner so a program cannot just fit one answer. Sign in to record a pass and download the FAT report.

Every level has hints and a full solution, explained step by step. Read it, let the lab build it with you, or download it as a guide. A level done with it is marked Solved with help, not passed.

Yes. Every lab opens in a phone browser and nothing is installed. Programming and wiring are easier on a laptop, where the 3D scene and the editor have more room.

Yes. Opening the labs, doing the levels and passing the acceptance tests are free. A free EDWartens account is only needed to record a test result, rate a lab and keep your work in sync on every device. Optional extras, such as an engineer review of your report, are paid.

Yes. Teachers and trainers can assign levels with due dates and see who has passed. Students need no software, only a browser. See edwartens.com/universities for how it works.

Yes. A passed level gives you a FAT report you can download and share. Employers can also set an assessment that a candidate opens with a code, with time and attempt limits, and see the result, the time taken and the program. See edwartens.com/employers.