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 we quickly discovered we share the same goal: getting more technicians into industrial automation with the right foundations and the right tools. His first two articles are already live on this site. But before you read those, you should know who you’re learning from.
Featured in Elektor Magazine
In January 2025, Chris was interviewed by Elektor Magazine — one of the most respected electronics and automation publications in the world, continuously published since 1960. The interview covers his complete journey: from the childhood radio club projects, to a technician in the electronics laboratory in the printing industry, then an engineer in a computing center, to finally enjoying 25 years of vocational training in Canada, and building his own PLC trainers from scratch, plus documenting the entire process on YouTube.
It is one of the most thorough profiles of a working automation educator I have come across. If you want to understand the thinking behind the content he is contributing here, start with the interview.
Read the full Elektor interview:
- English Edition — DIY PLC Trainers and More: Inside Chris Urban’s Electronics Workspace
- French Edition — Unité didactique PLC à construire soi-même
About Chris Urban
Chris has over 40 years of experience across electronics, computing, and industrial automation. With his engineering background in computers and industrial automation, he obtained a programming certificate from the University of Montreal in 2003, followed by a certificate in vocational education from McGill University in 2007, and then his teaching license.
He taught PLC programming at a vocational training center for many years and built his own trainers – first for his students’ use, then for PLC technology presentations at various companies and schools in his area. You can watch two of his students document their entire trainer build journeys on YouTube for others to follow.
His YouTube channel @CU_Wiring_Electronic_Projects has over 150 videos organized into four playlists:
- PLC Trainers Step by Step — 22 videos documenting how to build your own budget PLC trainer from scratch
- Your Time to Shine — Two students, Diyu and Rodney, are building their own trainers from start to finish. Both are now working as experienced technicians.
- The French Connection — A network of 11 interconnected industrial PLC workstations in Montreal, showing what a real local PLC network looks like in operation
- Electronics Projects — Beginner-friendly electronics builds, logic circuits, and low-cost tools for anyone starting out
You can also find Chris on LinkedIn, where he publishes short technical articles and connects former students with professional references for their careers.
His PLC Training Articles on ACC Automation
Chris has contributed two articles so far, both written in response to real questions from his students. His approach is direct and practical — no unnecessary theory, just clear explanations backed by real hardware examples from his own bench.
- How Can You Control AC Loads from a PLC? — Single-phase relays, three-phase contactors, VFDs, and the difference between digital and analog motor control. Includes photos from his own motor control trainer and video links.
- Is It Really Useful to Build Your Own PLC Trainer? — The honest answer to whether a physical trainer is worth the effort, how the PLC memory map is the key to learning any platform, and how the ACC PLC Simulator fits into the picture. Published April 22, 2026.
Why This Collaboration Matters
ACC Automation has always focused on AutomationDirect platforms — Click, BRX, and Productivity. Chris brings a different perspective: he has programmed Omron, Siemens, Klockner-Moeller, IDEC, Crouzet, Modicon, and AutomationDirect across 40 years of real industrial work. He understands that the logic is the same on every platform — and that is exactly the foundation that makes someone genuinely competent, not just familiar with one brand.
His experience as an educator also fills a gap that pure technical content cannot. He has stood in front of beginners and watched where they get stuck. He knows which explanations work and which ones leave people more confused than when they started.
That knowledge is rare. And it belongs here.
More content from Chris is coming. If you have a question about PLC fundamentals, hardware, or industrial training that you would like to see addressed, leave it in the comments below.
The ACC PLC Simulator — referenced in Chris’s own Elektor interview — is free to use in your browser. No hardware required. No install. Try it here.