Graeme
He writes the PLC Gym guides from the learner's side of the desk, and checks every fact against the people who make the equipment and set the standards.
About Graeme
Graeme is the founder of PLC Gym. His background is in marketing and search: helping businesses get found by the people who are looking for them.
He started PLC Gym so that anyone can learn PLC programming in a web browser, with real Siemens and Rockwell code and working 3D machines, and nothing expensive to buy first. When he tried the early missions himself, he found them harder than he expected. That is why the site now starts with plain English basics and guided labs for complete beginners.
How the guides are written
Graeme isn't a PLC engineer, and he doesn't pretend to be. He writes from the learner's side of the desk, in plain English, for people starting where he started.
Every technical fact is checked against the people who make the equipment and set the standards: Siemens, Rockwell Automation, the International Electrotechnical Commission and UK sources such as Skills England. Each guide lists its sources at the end, so you can check them yourself.
Spotted something wrong or out of date? Send a note through the contact page and it goes straight to him.
Guides by Graeme

·7 min read
Programming logic controllers: how PLC code actually works
Programming logic controllers, explained: how a PLC reads inputs, runs your code and sets outputs, the standard languages, and how to start.
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·7 min read
PLC certification: what it is, and do you need it?
PLC certification explained: what Siemens, Rockwell and UK colleges offer, what employers look for, and when a certificate is worth paying for.
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·7 min read
Structured Text programming: a beginner's guide
Structured Text programming for beginners: IF, CASE, FOR, timers and the scan, with examples for Siemens SCL and Rockwell Studio 5000.
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·6 min read
PLC kit for training: do you need hardware to learn?
Thinking of buying a PLC kit for training? What a trainer kit includes, what it teaches well, what it misses, and when a simulator is enough.
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·6 min read
PLC technician training: the routes into the job
PLC technician training in the UK: apprenticeships, college courses and self study, what the job involves and the skills employers ask for.
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·6 min read
PLC emulator or simulator: what's the difference?
PLC emulator or simulator? What each one copies, the tools Siemens and Rockwell offer, and which you need to learn or test PLC code.
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·6 min read
TIA Portal simulation: testing Siemens code without a PLC
TIA Portal simulation explained: what S7-PLCSIM and PLCSIM Advanced do, what they need, and how to practise Siemens code with no hardware.
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·7 min read
Learn ladder logic: rungs, contacts and coils explained
Learn ladder logic from scratch: how rungs, contacts and coils work, how to build a start and stop circuit, and the mistakes beginners make.
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