ACC Automation: PLC & Industrial Control Learning
Practical Tips and Techniques
ACC Automation is growing — and part of that growth is bringing in voices from outside my own experience. I want to introduce you to Chris Urban, an automation educator and PLC trainer based near Montreal, Quebec, who has been teaching technicians and engineers for over 30 years. Chris reached out after finding the ACC PLC Simulator, and … Read more
The ACC PLC Simulator is a free, browser-based ladder-logic editor and PLC scan engine. There is nothing to download or install. You open it in Chrome, Edge, or Firefox and start programming immediately. I built this simulator so that anyone learning PLC programming can get hands-on practice without needing hardware. It uses standard PLC register … Read more
This article was written by Chris Urban, an automation educator and PLC trainer with over 30 years of hands-on teaching experience. Find Chris on YouTube and LinkedIn. — CU It’s a fair question — and there’s no simple answer. Let me give you an honest one. How the PLC Was Born The person who invented the PLC had a … Read more
If you’ve ever wanted to practice PLC ladder logic without buying hardware, the ACC PLC Simulator is built for you. It’s free, it runs in your browser, and it uses standard PLC register conventions. No downloads. No license fees. Just open the page and start programming. In this tutorial, I’m going to walk you through … Read more
This article was written by Chris Urban, an automation educator and PLC trainer with over 30 years of hands-on teaching experience. Find Chris on YouTube and LinkedIn. — CU A question that comes up constantly from beginners: if PLC control logic runs on safe low-voltage DC, how do you actually switch a 120V, 220V, or 460V AC load like a … Read more
We will now look at monitoring and testing our Productivity Mini PLC program. The Productivity Suite Software provides powerful tools for us to monitor and test our programs. Last time, we created our first program—a simple start-stop motor circuit—and transferred it to our connected P1-M622-16DR Mini PLC. We will monitor our ladder using the ladder … Read more
We will now create our first program on the Productivity Mini PLC P1-M622-16DR. Last time we connected the Mini PLC with our computer running the Productivity Suite Software. An Ethernet (RJ45) connection was established to our programmable logic controller. We will now create our first program for our Productivity Mini PLC. Our program will be … Read more
Here’s something that still catches people off guard: the Productivity Suite programming software is completely free. No demo limitations, no 30-day trials, no annual subscriptions eating into your budget year after year. AutomationDirect gives you the full package—every feature, every instruction, every tool—at zero cost. In an industry where software licensing fees can rival hardware … Read more
Did you know that the average industrial control panel has shrunk by nearly 40% over the past two decades, yet the demand for functionality has tripled? That stat alone tells you everything about where automation is headed. The days of massive control cabinets taking up half your floor space are fading fast. Enter the Productivity1000 … Read more
Did you know that over 500 articles and tutorials are now freely available on ACC Automation? That’s right—more than a decade of accumulated PLC programming knowledge, HMI design guides, communication tutorials, and hands-on examples waiting for you to explore, all without spending a dime. Whether you’re a complete beginner trying to understand your first rung … Read more