PLC Gym changelog
Every release of PLC Gym, newest first: what was fixed, what improved and what's new.
Current version 1.28.4, released . See what’s Coming soon.
1.28.4 Profile button and glossary fixes
Minor
- FixedOn the smallest phones, the Message button on a member's profile now fits in every language. In Polish, German and Portuguese its envelope and PRO badge used to stick out of the button.
- FixedPortuguese visitors who open the English Deadband or Hysteresis glossary page now reach the Portuguese page for that term.
1.28.3 Clearer search results in every language
Minor
- FixedA Locker Room thread's title in the browser tab and in search results is now in the page's language, not only the thread itself.
- FixedAsking for help from a mission, lesson or glossary term fills in the thread's title in your language.
- ImprovedTranslated mission and lesson titles in search results now start with what the page teaches, so it is never the part cut off.
- FixedThe Portuguese glossary has its own pages for banda morta (deadband) and histerese (hysteresis), which shared one name.
1.28.2 Tidier on a phone
Minor
- FixedOn a phone, a guided lab's machine toolbar no longer covers Why? and Paused, and the step's full name shows.
- FixedOn a phone, the colleges and companies comparison shows each plan in its own box instead of scrolling sideways.
- FixedOn a phone, the Pro box on Your progress, the Message button on a Locker Room profile and the footer's languages all fit the screen.
- ImprovedThe footer's section headings are green and bolder, so they stand out from the links under them.
1.28.1 Prices in your own currency
Minor
- NewPrices now show, and you pay, in your own currency: about 130 of them, from Indian rupees and Swiss francs to Turkish lira, each set for what people there can pay.
- ImprovedYou pay the price for the country your card is from. If that differs from the price you saw, we show it before anything is taken, and you can confirm or cancel.
- ImprovedThe Prices in menu lists your own currency first, then the most used, then every currency from A to Z.
- ImprovedThe leaderboards say what they are: Hall of fame for XP, and This week's race for the Daily Workout.
1.28.0 Missions from easiest to hardest, and the Factory as the boss
Major
- ImprovedMissions now run from easiest to hardest, in chapters of one subject, so some numbers changed. You keep every pass, your XP, your level and every mission you could open.
- NewFour new missions ease the biggest steps: your first state machine, holding and resuming a phase, your first sequence chart, and an average of the last four readings.
- NewPass a mission without opening its worked solution, and the next one opens, whatever your level.
- NewThe Factory is now the last and hardest mission: ten checks, a whole shift among them, hints but no worked solution. Beat it for a badge on your profile. The control room opens after it.
- ImprovedXP now follows how hard a mission is. Where a mission you passed pays less now, you keep the XP you earned.
- FixedThe one mission played only in ladder now asks for the ladder version of its lessons, so you meet ladder in a lesson first.
1.27.17 Private messages in your language
Minor
- NewPrivate messages written in another language now show in yours, with a note saying what they were translated from and the original one click away.
- NewA switch in each conversation, and under Notifications and emails, turns message translation off and on. It is on to begin with.
- ImprovedThe Privacy Policy now says in plain words how posts and private messages are translated.
1.27.16 Small phones: the top bar and long words fit
Minor
- FixedOn small phones in German and French the top bar was wider than the screen, so pages slid sideways. The bar now fits.
- FixedOn small phones the language button no longer covers the logo, and Join free wraps onto two lines when the bar is full.
- FixedIn the Locker Room, a post title made of one very long word ran off the side of its card. Long words now break.
- FixedIn the phone's top bar the name PLC Gym was cut short in most languages. It now shows whole, or the logo stands alone.
1.27.15 More on the way
Minor
- ImprovedComing soon now says more about the AI helper planned for missions: it will talk with you in your own language, point you to your mistake and never write the answer for you.
- ImprovedTwo more plans are on Coming soon: feedback drafts for lecturers, and summaries of hiring tests for hiring managers.
1.27.14 The Locker Room fits your phone in every language
Minor
- FixedOn a phone, the Locker Room ran off the right edge of the screen in Portuguese and other languages, and by a few pixels in English. Every screen now fits, from the smallest phones up.
- ImprovedA new header on phones: the picture sits on top and the words below it, so nothing is laid over the lockers.
- ImprovedOn a phone the Locker Room uses the full width of the screen.
- FixedOn a tablet, the bell's list was cut off at the right.
1.27.13 The Locker Room in your language
Minor
- NewLocker Room posts are now translated as they are written, so the board and every thread open already in the language you chose, with no button to press and no wait.
- NewEach translated post and card says which language it was written in.
- NewYou can post in any language. Everyone else reads it in theirs.
1.27.12 Lighter on your computer
Minor
- ImprovedMissions and guided labs use much less of your computer's processor while the PLC runs, so laptops stay cooler and quieter. The machines look and move as before.
1.27.11 More natural Locker Room translations
Minor
- ImprovedLocker Room translations are now made by a stronger AI model, so they read more naturally. Posts already translated keep their wording.
1.27.10 The Locker Room dot clears once you have looked
Minor
- FixedThe green dot beside the Locker Room in the menus now goes out once you have been in, and comes back only for a newer post.
- FixedBefore, it stayed lit for an hour after any post, whether you had seen it or not, so it looked like something new was waiting.
1.27.9 Locker Room posts in the language you chose
Minor
- FixedLocker Room posts now translate into the language you chose for the site, not the one your browser is set to. Before, a Spanish reader with an English browser got no Translate button.
- FixedThe Translate button and the notes around a translation now read in the language you chose too.
- FixedThe Translate button could go missing for signed in members when a thread opened. It now stays.
- NewA translated post now names the language it was written in and the one you are reading it in, so you know what its writer speaks.
1.27.8 Your journey, mission by mission
Minor
- NewYour progress has a new Your journey section: every mission you've passed, newest first, with its editor, the hints you took, any worked solution opened first and the XP it earned.
- NewTotals at the top add up your missions passed, hints used, solutions opened before a pass and the XP your missions earned.
- ImprovedA mission passed in more than one editor shows once, with both editors on its row. This replaces the old list of completed missions by profile.
1.27.7 Hints first, then the answer
Minor
- ImprovedOn a mission you get 3 hints, then the worked solution if you want it. A failed test no longer jumps straight to the answer.
- ImprovedEach mission's brief now says how help works: 3 hints, each taking a quarter off its XP, then the worked solution, which means no XP for that mission.
- ImprovedThe hint button keeps giving the hints that are left, and they're free after the third. The worked solution waits beside the hint.
1.27.6 Steadier 3D, roomier questions
Minor
- FixedThe yellow and black hazard stripes on the floor of the 3D machines no longer flicker as you move around.
- ImprovedOn a phone, a question step in a Coaching lesson gives the answers more room, and the lesson's finish screen puts your next lesson on the first screen.
- FixedOn an iPhone, tapping a box to write a post, reply or message no longer zooms the page in, and Post stays at the bottom of the box in reach.
- FixedOn a phone, a message from PLC Gym, such as a checkout that couldn't start, now shows on screen instead of half off it.
- ImprovedOn a phone, the classroom's views sit in one row, so each view starts on the first screen.
1.27.5 Shorter pages on a phone
Minor
- ImprovedOn a phone, the Missions page opens on your own group of missions, with the others folded under their headings. It was about 80 screens long; now it is about 20.
- ImprovedOn a phone, a member's home page puts your next step first, under your level.
- FixedOn a phone, an up or down swipe on the 3D machine scrolls the page again; a sideways drag still turns it.
- ImprovedPicking a tag for a ladder part on a phone keeps the keyboard down until you tap to type, so the list stays in view. A lesson step you have done shows a tick.
1.27.4 Every page in your language
Minor
- FixedVietnamese and Japanese still showed English in places, and a few labels did in every language: machine buttons, test steps, the ladder editor's help. A check of every page finds none now.
1.27.3 Your language on a phone
Minor
- NewOn a phone, the top bar has a language button. Tap it and pick from all nine languages, each written in itself. Before, the only way to change language was at the very bottom of the page.
- ImprovedThe phone top bar shows PLC Gym instead of a cut off page name, every button is easier to tap, and Sign in and Give feedback are in the menu.
- FixedOn a phone, notes no longer cover the page or its buttons. Best on a laptop is one quiet line, and the app offer waits until you level up.
- FixedA mission's Code tab on a phone showed toolbars and none of your rung. The toolbars fold into single rows, so the rung is on screen with Run and Test.
1.27.2 Coaching on a phone
Minor
- FixedOn a phone, a Coaching lesson is now one screen. The page no longer jumps when you win a step, your lamp lights where you can see it, and Next is always at the bottom.
- FixedPhones no longer show two top bars while a page loads, and the best on a laptop note stays off lessons and missions.
1.27.1 The last English words in lessons
Minor
- FixedCoaching lessons counted their steps in English, and a lesson panel mixed an English switch name with a translated lamp. Both read in your language now, as do the career titles.
1.27.0 News for every member, and every name in your language
Major
- NewWhen PLC Gym has news for everyone, you hear about it: a note in your bell, a megaphone on the Locker Room, and a banner on your home page that you can close.
- FixedCoaching kept its English name in other languages. It now has a local name everywhere, from Clases to レッスン, and lesson addresses use it too. Old addresses still work.
- FixedTranslated pages still showed English in places: career titles, the footer, 3D machine buttons, lesson word cards. They read in your language now, bar a few in Vietnamese and Japanese.
- FixedMission check results showed their names in English in every language. All 59 are translated now.
- FixedThe home page factory and blog photo captions now read in your language, and French emails say tu, like the rest of the site.
1.26.2 The simulator on a phone
Minor
- FixedOn a phone, the simulator page showed words and buttons first, with the 3D pump pushed down and covered. The live pump and its Start button are now on the first screen.
1.26.1 Cleaner translations
Minor
- FixedTranslated pages still had English words in places, and some parts of the site went by different names from page to page. Each language now uses one name throughout.
- FixedLesson feedback and glossary lines that quote a bit of code were still in English in every language. About 270 of them are translated now.
- ImprovedEmails in your language now name buttons and parts of the site exactly as your screen shows them.
- ImprovedA shared link to a translated home page now shows its preview card in that language, and blog links keep you in your language.
- FixedOn phones, long translated buttons and job names now wrap instead of making the page wider than the screen.
1.26.0 PLC Gym in six more languages
Major
- NewPLC Gym in German, French, Dutch, Polish, Vietnamese and Japanese: every page, mission, lab, lesson and menu, with PLC words checked against the makers' manuals where they exist.
- ImprovedYour language opens by itself. If your browser is set to one of our languages, PLC Gym opens in it on any translated page. Pick another in the menu and the site remembers it.
1.25.0 PLC Gym in Portuguese
Major
- NewPLC Gym in Brazilian Portuguese at /pt: every page, mission, guided lab, Coaching lesson and menu, with addresses in Portuguese too. Pick Português in the language menu.
- FixedSpanish: 22 lines of the legal pages and one answer on the colleges page were still in English. They read in Spanish now.
1.24.3 The same numbers on every page
Minor
- FixedPricing and How it works said 8 editor styles while other pages said 9. Every page now says 9, across Siemens, Rockwell and Beckhoff, and counts them from the site itself.
1.24.2 Instant messages, with read receipts
Minor
- NewRead receipts on private messages, as on WhatsApp: one grey tick when it's sent, two grey ticks once it reaches them, and two blue ticks once they've read it.
- NewMark any conversation as read or unread from its menu. Unread chats show in bold, with how many new messages are waiting.
- ImprovedPrivate messages now arrive as soon as they're sent, like any chat app, instead of up to 15 seconds later.
- ImprovedYour own message shows the moment you press Send. If it can't be sent, it goes back in the box so nothing is lost.
1.24.1 A flag for every member
Minor
- ImprovedEvery member now shows the flag of the country they connect from, on their posts, profile, the Members page and Online now.
- ImprovedFlags show beside each name on the XP leaderboard and this month's board too.
- FixedThe Members page's country filter lists every country members are from.
1.24.0 See who's online, and what they're doing
Major
- NewOnline now in the Locker Room: see who's on right now and what they're doing, like On Mission 4 or In Coaching lesson 5. Each name opens their profile.
- NewThe Members page can show just who's online, with a green dot beside anyone on now.
- NewEvery profile shows the missions passed and Coaching lessons finished, for everyone to see.
- ImprovedShow when I'm online and what I'm doing is on unless you turn it off, in Notifications and emails or on your own profile.
- FixedThe number on the bell now counts only what's in the bell.
- FixedIf a page breaks, you now see a page that says so, with Try again and a way home.
1.23.0 Meet every member in the Locker Room
Major
- NewA Members page in the Locker Room: everyone who's joined, with their photo, flag, PRO badge, level and rank. Search by name, pick a country, or sort by newest, highest level or most active.
- NewSee members as a slim list or as cards, 30, 60 or 100 to a page, with page numbers to move through them.
- NewMessage anyone straight from their card on the Members page.
- NewNew message in your messages: type a name, pick the member, and the conversation opens.
- ImprovedThe member counts in the Locker Room now open the Members page. If you chose Hide me from leaderboards, you stay off the list too.
- FixedIn your messages, Home feed and the topics on the left now take you back to the board.
1.22.1 Mission 1 gets you past the first change, and a note for phones
Minor
- FixedDo it for me in Mission 1 now works without an account. It used to ask visitors to sign in first.
- ImprovedOn Mission 1's Change one word step, the word to change glows in the code, the card says exactly what to type, and Do it for me is a clear green button.
- ImprovedPressing Next too early on that step now says what's still missing, instead of doing nothing.
- NewOn a phone, a short note says PLC Gym is best on a laptop or desktop, and that a dedicated mobile app is planned for next year. Close it once and it stays closed.
- FixedOn smaller laptops the cookie bar no longer covers the tour's Back and Next, and on phones the tour's buttons stay in reach.
- FixedShare buttons now show even with an ad blocker switched on.
1.22.0 Private messages in the Locker Room
Major
- NewMessage another member from their profile. Your first message arrives as a request they can accept or ignore. Starting a conversation is part of Pro; anyone can reply.
- NewYour conversations sit under the envelope in the Locker Room and in your account menu, with a count of unread ones and a line in your bell.
- NewBlock or report anyone from a conversation, and choose who can message you under Notifications and emails: anyone, only people you've accepted, or nobody.
- ImprovedIf your name isn't saved yet, the main pages ask once for the name your certificates carry. Not now puts it off for 30 days.
- ImprovedReminder emails never stack up: at most one a day, none on a day you've already heard from us, and three a week at most.
- FixedOn the Spanish site, the Report button on Locker Room posts now says Denunciar.
1.21.0 Member profiles, class leagues and a plain words glossary
Major
- NewClass leagues: everyone in a college class races their classmates on XP, all time and this week, and sees the classmate just above to chase. Lecturers can switch it off.
- NewTap any member's name or picture to see their profile: a big photo, country flag, the gold PRO badge, level, rank and their own bio up top.
- ImprovedThe glossary explains every term in plain words first, with an everyday comparison, on new cards and tidier word pages.
- ImprovedStart again asks before it swaps your code for the starting code, and says where to find your old code.
- ImprovedSpanish Coaching lessons now have Spanish web addresses, and old links still work. Lecturers can open any lesson step in any order.
- FixedSign up no longer spins for ever after a cancelled Google or Microsoft sign in. Coaching labels no longer cover drawings, and green tips show above menus.
1.20.0 Coaching: PLC code from zero, step by step
Major
- NewCoaching: hands on lessons that teach PLC code from zero, in ladder or code. It shows you each move before the workout, and a failed mission check points you to the lesson that covers it.
- NewEvery mission opens with a briefing: what you need to understand, the Coaching lessons that teach it, and the full brief. The Briefing button brings it back any time.
- ImprovedGym names: Career is now Fitness Tests, PLC challenges the Daily Workout and expert challenges the Heavy Sets. Certificates show your first name, and you can share any win with a link.
- ImprovedA new look: a simpler top menu with the leaderboard's top 5 on hover, the missions as one road with a lesson on every card, Pricing with the plans first and full width pages.
- NewThe knowledge check is now four workouts, from Warm Up to One Rep Max, ten questions a set in your own PLC maker's code. Every question was checked against the makers' manuals.
- ImprovedThe code converter now reads Siemens ladder and FBD from TIA Portal's XML export, opens several files at once and knows more Rockwell instructions.
1.19.0 Learn the code as you go, and a sharper converter
Major
- NewA short New idea card before each of the first ten missions teaches the one piece of code that mission needs, with a quick try on the real simulator.
- NewExplain this line: click any line of code or rung and see what it does in plain English, in Siemens, Rockwell and Beckhoff.
- ImprovedThe code converter reads far more real programs: Siemens data blocks, Rockwell routines that call others, Beckhoff code without the optional semicolon, and arrays that don't start at 0.
- FixedThe converter no longer changes behaviour without saying so: 64 bit numbers stay 64 bit, bit overlays and block status are flagged, and every change it makes is listed.
- ImprovedIts proof that both programs match now runs timers long enough to finish and tries more inputs, so a match means more.
1.18.0 PLC Gym in Spanish, and more help for beginners
Major
- NewPLC Gym en español: every page, mission, lab, lesson and menu at plcgym.com/es, with code left exactly as the PLC needs it. Choose it from the globe in the top bar.
- NewA How missions work video is always one press away on every mission, and a failed check on Mission 1 offers it along with the guided lab.
- ImprovedTyping your first line in the guided labs is easier: the example is clearly marked, the part to change is ready to type over, and # and < have their own buttons.
- ImprovedThe Locker Room's Translate button now speaks your language.
- FixedOn tablets and sideways phones the mission toolbar no longer runs off the screen, so Test solution and Tips are always in reach.
1.17.0 Alerts everywhere and a clear path for students
Major
- NewWhen someone tags or replies to you in the Locker Room, the top bar lights up with a count, phones get a bell in the header, and the home page tells you who and where.
- NewStudents in a class get a welcome made for their class, a clear way to their set work, and a clear finish to each mission saying what to do next.
- NewClass notifications: students hear when new work is set or reviewed, and lecturers hear when work comes in, with phone pings kept to a sensible few.
- NewEvery release now posts in the Locker Room's What's new thread, with a line in your notifications. No emails, no pings.
- ImprovedLoading a mission or its 3D machine shows lamps lighting in turn and a moving bar, says more the longer it takes, and offers a reload if it ever gets stuck.
- FixedTurning on notifications now explains the Brave setting that blocks them and the iPhone steps that allow them, and the pneumatics trainer's labels no longer flicker.
1.16.0 Pneumatics, SCADA and the college classroom
Major
- NewA pneumatics trainer with four missions: a cylinder out and back, an A+ B+ B− A− sequence, a cylinder that never arrives, and bringing the air back after an emergency stop.
- NewFour SCADA missions on the model factory and batch reactor, and three hardware fault finding missions: a broken wire, a sticking valve and a tripped pump.
- NewThe college classroom is open on college plans: set work, see class results, review each student’s program and keep evidence, tagged with your own unit outcomes.
- ImprovedSiemens ladder adds the pulse timer, the retentive timer, down and up/down counters, SR, RS and the negated coil, and the ladder gets more room on small laptop screens.
- ImprovedFairer checks on 38 missions. Correct timer programs no longer fail on rung order, and machine missions are judged by what the 3D machine actually does.
- FixedIn Beckhoff code, hints and Try this solution work again. Since the last release they came up blank.
1.15.5 Fairer XP and steadier emails
Minor
- ImprovedXP on the leaderboard is fairer. Hints and worked answers are now counted on our side, so every pass is scored the same way for everyone.
- FixedOn busy days, emails such as invites and mission reminders could be held back. Behind the scenes notes no longer use up the day's email allowance.
1.15.4 A rebuilt pump skid
Minor
- ImprovedThe pump skid in Mission 1 and on the simulator page is rebuilt to look like real plant: a cast pump, a ribbed motor, bolted flanges, red handwheel valves and printed tags.
- ImprovedThe 3D machine files are about a third smaller with nothing drawn differently, so machines load sooner on a slow connection.
- FixedIn missions with one pump, pointing at the empty bay beside it no longer names a standby pump that isn't there.
1.15.3 The simulator opens on a working 3D machine
Minor
- ImprovedThe online PLC simulator now opens on a live 3D pump. Press Start, change the line of code, then write it yourself in Mission 1, with no account needed.
- ImprovedThe control panel, which builds buttons and lamps from any program's tags, now sits below the machines, for your own code.
- FixedThe simulator page said Mission 1 needs a free account. It doesn't: you can play it first and sign up to save your pass.
1.15.2 An easier first step in the guided labs
Minor
- FixedThe first step of each guided lab no longer waits for you to find the tank or the pump. Next works straight away.
- ImprovedThe tank and the pump now glow in the 3D view, with a label saying click here, so it's clear at once what to look at.
1.15.1 Push buttons in reach, and phones that fit
Minor
- FixedOn a small laptop screen, the machine's push buttons stay in view when the test results open. Before, the results panel could cover them.
- FixedOn phones, the online simulator and the code converter no longer scroll sideways, so every example and editor can be reached.
- FixedOn phones, the Learn page fits the screen again for signed in members. A long next mission button used to push the page sideways.
- ImprovedThe Instructions guide shows today's new screens: the menus, the Missions road, what happens when you pass, Learn and Career.
1.15.0 Career mode, and a clear road through the missions
Major
- NewCareer mode: a practical test for each of the ten titles. Pass it and your title is Certified. The Trainee test is free; the other nine and every certificate come with Pro.
- NewEach test is drawn fresh every sitting, with new tag names, new numbers and a different fault. It runs against the clock with no hints, and our server marks it against hidden tests.
- ImprovedThe Missions page is now your road: a You are here card with your level, your title and your next mission, then every mission in order, in stages with a short briefing before each.
- FixedNext always means your next mission now. Passing Mission 1 used to send some people back to a guided lab.
- ImprovedClearer menus: six places, Guided labs, Missions, Learn, Simulator, Locker Room and Pricing, and a much shorter phone menu with your next step at the top.
- ImprovedA new Learn page and a How PLC Gym works guide say what's here, what's free and how you level up. Signed in, the home page shows one button to your next mission.
1.14.2 A guide to AI for PLC work
Minor
- NewA long guide on the blog to AI PLC programming: how engineers can use an AI agent today to review programs, write and test code, document old machines and find faults.
- NewIt covers reading plant data safely and read only, what Siemens, Rockwell and Beckhoff offer, the safety standards and new rules, and answers 21 common questions.
- ImprovedAll 19 PLC guides on the blog now read as straight guides, written to you, with the facts up front and every source still listed at the end.
- ImprovedThe author box at the end of each guide now says plainly how every fact is checked and where to report a mistake.
- FixedThe FBD and GRAPH editors no longer blink while the PLC runs. Before, the blocks and their lines kept vanishing and coming back many times a second.
1.14.1 Straight into your first lab
Minor
- ImprovedBrand new to PLCs? After sign up you go straight into Guided Lab 1, instead of being asked whether to read first. The basics are one click away from the lab whenever you want them.
- ImprovedPassed Mission 1 or finished Guided Lab 1 before making an account? The sign up page now says so, and that a free account saves it with your XP.
- ImprovedGet started now says plainly that you can skip the basics at any stage and go straight to the missions.
- FixedThe heading on the basics' "Rather jump straight in?" box was almost invisible on the dark background. It's readable now.
- FixedThe Coming soon page no longer lists sign in with Google and Microsoft, which has worked since 5 November.
- FixedThe Locker Room counted countries only for members who had posted, so it showed 1. It now counts every member, and its member count includes everyone who has signed up.
1.14.0 Short videos on the tricky parts
Major
- NewSix videos of about a minute: inside a mission, finding a bug, the simulator, the ladder editor, your own code and the converter, and the guided labs. On the new Videos page, under Tools.
- NewEach one is also a press away where it helps: the Instructions guide, the ladder editor's help, a failed test, and the converter. Nothing plays until you press it.
- NewEvery video has captions in English and 13 more languages on YouTube.
1.13.1 Easier to find hints, and Invite a friend fixed
Minor
- ImprovedThe hint button in a mission now lights up with a yellow bulb, so it's easier to find when you're stuck.
- FixedPro earned through Invite a friend before 5 December now starts on 5 December, so you get the full 3 weeks instead of it running out during the free trial.
1.13.0 Try it before you sign up, and profiles
Major
- NewTry Guided Lab 1 and Mission 1 without an account. You're asked to sign up when you finish, or when you want to go further.
- Improved"I already know some PLC" now takes you straight into Mission 1.
- ImprovedEveryone starts at Mission 1 and earns each level, like any game. The level check shows your score but no longer skips missions.
- FixedThe level check now says at the start that it needs a free account, instead of only asking after your first answer.
- NewLocker Room profiles now show an About me, your level, checked missions, challenges and any certificates you've made public.
- NewChange your profile photo by tapping it on your own profile.
1.12.0 Pro for everyone until 5 December
Major
- NewEvery account now has a free Pro trial until 5 December, when paid plans start. No card, nothing to pay, nothing to cancel.
- NewThe Locker Room has an Announcements section for news from PLC Gym, with a note in your bell when something new is posted.
- NewChoose your notifications under Notifications and emails in the account menu: everything, important only, or off.
- ImprovedNew members are told straight away that they're on Pro, instead of being asked to pick a trial.
1.11.1 Pro, clearly marked
Minor
- ImprovedEvery Pro feature now carries the same PRO badge: locked if it's part of Pro, gold if it's in your plan.
- NewRewind, the scan by scan replay, is named on its button, and a line before your first test says what it does.
- NewYour progress shows what Pro gets you, or your Pro with every perk and the days left on a trial. It's in the account menu too.
- ImprovedMissions still to unlock show their level instead of a padlock, so earning a mission never looks like paying for it.
- FixedPro members no longer see a padlock on challenges they already have.
- NewAfter you post in the Locker Room, it offers to turn on notifications, so replies reach you.
1.11.0 The Locker Room: ask, share and cheer each other on
Major
- NewThe Locker Room, our members' board, now in the top bar. Ask for help, share wins, show your work, talk careers or say hello. Newest first, or Trending, Hot, Top and Unanswered.
- NewReact with 💪 🔥 💡 👏 or 😂, and mark the reply that solved your question. Helpful members earn rep, badges and a place among the week's top helpers.
- NewEvery member has a page with their rank, flag, rep, badges and streak. Click any name to see it.
- NewA bell for replies, mentions, reactions and answers, with @names to bring people into a thread.
- NewFree accounts get 1 new thread and 3 replies a day. Your PLC Gym Pro covers the Locker Room too: far more posts, photos and a gold PRO badge.
- NewPosts in another language show up in yours, translated by your browser where it can. Choose your Locker Room emails under Email settings.
1.10.21 Google Analytics waits for your cookie choice
Minor
- ImprovedGoogle Analytics now loads only after you answer the cookie banner, so nothing is sent before you choose. The Privacy Policy says so.
1.10.20 A readable Test supplied program button
Minor
- FixedOn fault challenges, the Test supplied program button showed white text on a white box. It now has dark text on white, like Run PLC, and reads clearly.
1.10.19 Clicks that did nothing now help
Minor
- FixedIn the ladder editor, clicking the guide's "Click a wire" step did nothing. It now lights up every place on the rung where a click adds something.
- FixedClicking the error count beside the code did nothing. It now takes you to the error, like Show me.
- ImprovedClicking a contact or output that's already picked now flashes its options box, so you can see where its settings are.
1.10.18 Better guides to certificates and Studio 5000
Minor
- ImprovedThe PLC certification guide now covers college certificate programs and apprenticeships wherever you live, and says exactly what a PLC Gym certificate proves and what it doesn't.
- ImprovedThe Studio 5000 guide now explains DINTs, UDTs and AOIs, and the lessons on them link to it. The arrays, loops and state machine lessons now link to the Structured Text guide.
- ImprovedEvery glossary term now links straight to the free online PLC simulator, so you can try the idea on a machine.
1.10.17 Colleges on board
Minor
- NewThe colleges page and the College plan on pricing now show how many colleges are on board, counted live, and a college can register its interest in one press.
1.10.16 A first step email, a day after you join
Minor
- NewFrom 10 November, if you make an account but haven't started a lab or a mission a day later, you get one short email with your best first step, in your language. One link stops it.
1.10.15 A clearer page when a mission needs an account
Minor
- ImprovedOpening a mission or the second guided lab while signed out now shows it, with its machine and what it involves, and says plainly that a free account needs no card.
- FixedThat page told everyone a free account would start the mission, even when it was part of Pro. It now says when a mission or lab is part of Pro, and that you can try Pro free for 7 days.
- FixedAfter signing out, a level up message could appear from progress left on the device. It now only shows while you're signed in.
1.10.14 A smaller cookie question
Minor
- ImprovedThe cookie question is now one slim bar along the bottom on every screen, phones included, with one short line. Details opens the cookie part of the Privacy Policy.
- ImprovedAccept and Reject look the same, so neither is pushed.
- FixedWhile the question shows, Run, the lab's Back and Next and the tour's card sit just above it, so nothing you need is hidden.
- FixedOn phones, the offer to add PLC Gym to your home screen could cover the page for a moment before the cookie question appeared. It now waits until you've answered.
1.10.13 Start opens the mission you pressed
Minor
- FixedPressing Start on a mission page while it was still loading could open the last mission you played, in its language. It now waits a moment and opens the one you pressed.
1.10.12 The welcome email says what the challenges really are
Minor
- FixedThe welcome email said a new challenge every day. It now says a different one every day with Pro, and that new missions come every week.
1.10.11 Smooth machines in the 3D view
Minor
- FixedMachines in the 3D view moved in jerks: a pump turned on some screen refreshes and stood still on others. Moving parts now glide between the simulator's updates, on every machine.
- FixedThe markers showing water in the pipes jumped further on each update than the gap between them, so they flickered and could seem to run backwards. They now move at about water speed.
- FixedOn a 120 Hz screen, running a machine could switch off the shadows and soft lighting halfway through. The full picture now stays on unless a device really can't keep up.
- ImprovedThe mission screen redraws itself half as often while a machine runs.
1.10.10 New missions every week
Minor
- NewThe home page, the missions page, pricing and the Pro offers now say it plainly: new missions every week, and a different challenge every day with Pro.
- NewPricing answers a new question, Will I run out of missions?, with the changelog as proof.
- FixedThe home page and challenges page said Pro adds a new challenge every day. The daily challenge comes round from the 20 challenges, so they now say a different one every day.
1.10.9 The account window opens at full size again
Minor
- FixedClicking your username or Account settings opened a squashed account window, half cut off, with your picture over Update profile. It now opens at full width with everything in view.
- ImprovedOn a short laptop screen the account window now fits the screen and scrolls inside, instead of running off the bottom.
1.10.8 The leaderboard email arrives on your Sunday evening
Minor
- ImprovedFrom 15 November, the weekly leaderboard email arrives at 19:00 on Sunday wherever you are. Your browser tells us your time zone, and the Privacy Policy says so.
1.10.7 A clearer record of how people get started
Minor
- ImprovedWhile you're signed in, we now also note simulator runs, how you answer the Pro trial offer, Pro and level locks you reach, and pricing visits. The Privacy Policy says so.
1.10.6 The cookie question out of the way, and Missions everywhere
Minor
- ImprovedOn a laptop the cookie question is now a slim bar along the bottom, so the page's main buttons stay in view. On a phone it sits at the top, clear of the main button.
- FixedThe end of the first guided lab said a free account opens Lab 2. Lab 2 comes with Pro, and it now says so, with the free 7 days.
- FixedThe home page and challenges page now say plainly that the first challenge is free and a new one every day comes with Pro.
- ImprovedIn the first guided lab, pressing TRUE or FALSE in the key now puts it in your code, as the dropdown does.
- FixedIn the ladder editor, every group of instructions is now in view: Math and Move were hidden off the edge on smaller screens.
- ImprovedThe 74 tasks are called missions everywhere now, in the menus, buttons and lessons.
1.10.5 A weekly leaderboard email, from Sunday 15 November
Minor
- NewThe weekly leaderboard email starts on Sunday evenings from 15 November: your place on the XP leaderboard, the gap to the next person up and the prize. One click stops it.
1.10.4 A welcome email that shows you where to start
Minor
- NewNew accounts now get a welcome email with the best first step for your PLC experience, and links straight to the guided labs, missions, simulator, code converter, challenges and leaderboard.
- ImprovedIt comes in your browser's language when we have it, with 18 languages besides English.
- ImprovedIt reads cleanly in light and dark mode, on a desktop or a phone.
1.10.3 Start in view on the simulator's guide
Minor
- FixedWhen the simulator's guide says to hold Start, the page now brings the Start button into view. On a phone it was hidden under the Run bar.
1.10.2 Time kept on every part of the site
Minor
- ImprovedWhile you're signed in, we now note how long you're active on each part of the site, not just missions. The Privacy Policy says so.
1.10.1 The XP rule now counts solutions from before today
Minor
- ImprovedA mission passed after opening its worked solution now gives no XP, however long ago, on your total and the leaderboard. Hints count from 7 November, when we began keeping them.
1.10.0 A first win on the online simulator
Major
- NewThe simulator now opens on one button and one lamp, with a three step guide: press Run, hold Start, then change one word and watch what changes. It runs without an account.
- ImprovedThe Examples menu goes from beginner to engineer, and says what each example does in plain words.
- ImprovedThe simulator page now shows the course under the tool: 74 missions on working 3D machines, and the free guided lab.
- FixedThe 3D pump on the simulator page is now marked as a demo. Its button says it opens Mission 1, and each mission link says whether it's free or Pro.
1.9.2 Asked before your first hint
Minor
- ImprovedBefore your first hint on a mission, the site now asks and says what hints cost, so the XP rule is never a surprise.
1.9.1 A monthly leaderboard prize, and Show me fixed
Minor
- NewFrom January 2027, the three learners who earn the most XP each month win Pro: 1 month for 1st place, 2 weeks each for 2nd and 3rd. The rules are on the leaderboard.
- FixedShow me on a simulator error now brings your code into view and points at the problem. It seemed to do nothing before.
1.9.0 Fairer XP, and a guide to how it works
Major
- NewEach hint you open before passing a mission now takes a quarter off its XP, down to a quarter. Opening the worked solution first means no XP for that mission.
- NewThe site asks before it shows a worked solution, and says what it costs.
- NewHow XP works: a short guide on your progress page to what earns XP, how levels open missions and what help costs.
- ImprovedThe leaderboard counts help too, so XP there is earned, not given.
- ImprovedPush button and switch tips now go away once you've used one.
1.8.5 A smoother start for new learners
Minor
- FixedThe Carry on button on the welcome screen did nothing for some new learners. It now takes them on to choose how to start.
- ImprovedThe two guided labs now show as separate steps, with the one you're on outlined.
- ImprovedThe new words in each basics chapter now read as a glossary, so they no longer look like buttons.
- ImprovedTap a push button too quickly in the basics and it now tells you to hold it down.
- NewWe now note the language your browser uses, so our emails to you can be in it. The Privacy Policy says so.
1.8.4 A postal address for PLC Gym
Minor
- NewOur Contact page, Terms of Service and Privacy Policy now show where to write to us.
1.8.3 A new guide to timers and counters
Minor
- NewA beginner's guide to PLC timers and counters, with pump and bottle counting examples.
1.8.2 Pro tools and missions now come from our server
Minor
- ImprovedThe simulator now greys TwinCAT, FBD and SFC, importing code and saving files without Pro. Ladder and text for Siemens and Rockwell stay free.
- ImprovedTesting your own code and saving files for TIA Portal and Studio 5000 are part of Pro. They run on our server, and your code is never stored or logged.
- ImprovedMission content, Pro lessons and worked answers now come from our server when you open them. Level locks are checked there too.
- ImprovedHiring tests are now marked on our server.
1.8.1 A code converter that reads real programs
Minor
- ImprovedThe code converter now reads real programs: functions, bit access, WHILE and REPEAT loops, block copies, more timers and counters, and hex and typed numbers.
- FixedA line it can't convert no longer stops the whole program. It stays as a comment, with its line number, why, and what to do.
- FixedConstants and retained tags now stay that way in the converted code.
- ImprovedThe converter now runs on our servers. Your code isn't stored or logged.
- ImprovedThe examples are open to everyone, a free account converts 3 programs, and Pro converts as many as you like.
1.8.0 The release day prize, and a clearer Free and Pro
Major
- NewOfficial release: 5 December. Top the XP leaderboard on the day and win Pro time. The rules are on the leaderboard page. Leaderboard XP now needs a passed mission behind it.
- ImprovedFree accounts now open the first 3 missions, the first guided lab and one challenge. Everything else shows with a padlock, and you can try all of Pro free for 7 days with no card.
- ImprovedUsing the simulator, labs, missions and challenges now needs a free account. Reading stays open to everyone.
- FixedThe offer of the free trial is now one clear button, and it no longer gets missed if you skip choosing a name.
1.7.1 Rockwell code the way Studio 5000 writes it
Minor
- FixedRockwell answers, starter code and hints now write a BOOL as 1 or 0, as Rockwell's own manual does. TRUE and FALSE still pass, so saved work is safe.
- FixedMission downloads for Studio 5000 now write 1 and 0, even if you typed TRUE.
- FixedThe code converter now reads hex and typed numbers such as 16#FF and INT#5, and real Rockwell routines that set a BOOL with 1 or 0.
- FixedConverted TwinCAT files now keep a function block as a function block, and start values such as := 5 now carry across.
1.7.0 Instructions: see what every button does
Major
- NewA new Instructions button on the missions page, in every mission and challenge, and in both guided labs. It opens a full screen guide with real pictures and numbered marks on each control.
- NewThe guide shows what a phone shows, and explains how you pass a mission, what the levels and locks mean, and each tab under the machine.
- ImprovedThe buttons along the top of a mission now fit one row on a small laptop, with room for Instructions.
1.6.2 Faster buttons and a clearer Pro trial
Minor
- ImprovedOn a phone, the code converter is now one big box to paste into, with a named button for opening a file.
- ImprovedGive feedback now sends straight from the page, with no email app needed. Everything is read, and it goes straight to Graeme.
- ImprovedThe home page on a phone now opens with the live factory and one clear button, with the details further down.
- ImprovedButtons now answer much faster on laptops and phones with weaker graphics while a machine is running.
- ImprovedThe site now says one thing about Pro: try it free for 7 days with no card. PLC Gym is a release candidate, and paid accounts launch on 5 December.
1.6.1 Clearer buttons, full screen and starting again
Minor
- FixedThe full screen button on the 3D machine hid your code. On a laptop it now fills the screen with your code and the machine side by side.
- ImprovedThe Pro trial offer now says up front that there's no card, nothing to pay and nothing to cancel, and shows what Pro opens.
- ImprovedFull screen is now a named button at the top of each mission and lab, and says how to get back. Your progress on the missions and course pages is easier to see.
- NewHover over a button and a green note tells you straight away what it does.
- ImprovedStart again clears your code and goes back to the starting code, with your old code kept in Drafts. Reset simulation is now Reset machine, and it tells you when your code needs fixing first.
1.6.0 Invite friends, and sign in with Google or Microsoft
Major
- NewInvite a friend: when they make a new account through your link and pass 5 missions, you get 3 weeks of Pro free.
- NewYou can now sign up and sign in with your Google or Microsoft account.
- NewYou now get two quick questions when you sign up, and your answers take you to the best place to start. If you signed up before, you'll see them once in a small card.
1.5.2 Certificates move to Pro
Minor
- ImprovedNew certificates are now part of Pro, which every new account can try free. Any you have earned stay yours.
1.5.1 See what is coming next
Minor
- NewA Coming soon page shows what we're working on next, including an AI helper built into every mission. None of it is ready yet, and you can tell us what you'd want.
- FixedA long username no longer stretches the XP leaderboard on a phone.
1.5.0 Ask why the machine did that
Major
- NewIn the guided labs, press Why? or click the valve or motor. The machine freezes and shows what your program read, what it decided, which line set the output and what really happened.
- ImprovedGuided lab prompts are now buttons that take you straight to the control you need, and on a phone a greyed out Next says what is still needed.
- NewAfter a run on the online simulator, newcomers get a clear next step into a guided lab, with their code kept safe.
- ImprovedThe XP leaderboard now reruns your saved mission code before counting it, so every score on it is earned.
- FixedOn a phone, a mistake in your code in the pump lab no longer sends you to the machine with the message hidden on another tab.
1.4.3 Back to your work after signing up
Minor
- FixedSigning up from the top bar or after passing a mission took you to your progress page. It now brings you back to what you were doing.
- FixedSaved could show when the account had turned a save down because another device had saved first. It now keeps trying, and only says Saved once it has.
- FixedOn a shared computer, a save still waiting when one person's sign in ended and another's began could go to the wrong account. It is now dropped.
1.4.2 Filling a class is much quicker
Minor
- NewEvery team and class now has a join link. Share it, and each person signs up with any email address they can open and takes a seat.
- ImprovedManagers can paste a whole list of email addresses at once, and the page now says if an invitation email did not go, and tries it again the next day.
1.4.1 Try the factory, and a tidier sign up page
Minor
- ImprovedThe 3D factory on the home page now says you can try it, and keeps saying so until you do. Click a machine, drag to look around, or press the emergency stop.
- ImprovedThe sign up and sign in pages are now two even halves in the middle of the screen, with a bigger form. On a phone the form now comes before the list of reasons.
1.4.0 A public XP leaderboard
Major
- NewA public top 10 by XP at /leaderboard, by username only. You can hide yourself from it at any time with the switch on Your progress.
- ImprovedThe home page now shows how XP, levels and ranks work, with the current top 5.
1.3.16 Signing up is easier to find
Minor
- ImprovedThe top bar now offers Sign up free instead of Sign in. If you already have an account you stay signed in, and Sign in is in the footer if a browser forgets you.
- ImprovedThe home page now says what a free account gives, and that it needs no card and has no automatic billing.
1.3.15 Full screen in the guided labs too
Minor
- NewThe guided labs now have the same full screen button in the bottom right corner as the workbench. Press Esc to come back.
1.3.14 Full screen, and panels you can size yourself
Minor
- NewA full screen button in the bottom right corner of the workbench hides everything but your code and the machine. Press Esc to come back.
- NewOn a laptop you can now drag every workbench panel to the size you want. Your sizes are remembered, and a double click resets one.
1.3.13 The divider beside your code drags both ways again
Minor
- FixedOn a laptop, dragging the divider between your code and the machine sent it straight to one side, and it couldn't be dragged back. It now follows your mouse both ways.
1.3.12 A tidier footer and a new thanks page
Minor
- ImprovedThe footer is tidier. Links sit in shorter lists, and terms, privacy and cookie settings are together at the very bottom.
- ImprovedThe Special thanks page is redesigned, with room for everyone who helps make PLC Gym better.
- ImprovedThe line about who reviews the missions now gives the engineer's full name and where they're based.
1.3.11 Mission 1 in ladder starts with the pump off
Minor
- FixedMission 1 in ladder began with the pump already running, which could look as if it worked before any change. It now starts off, as it does in code.
1.3.10 Corrections after checking the manuals
Minor
- FixedHolding a button from the Inputs tab no longer counts as forcing. The FORCE light is now only for a forced sensor value, and you can remove the force without resetting.
- FixedRemoved the claim that organised output logic is safe by construction. It's good programming, but it isn't what makes a real machine safe.
- ImprovedA division by zero now says that real PLCs behave differently depending on the make and instruction.
1.3.9 Closer to the real thing
Minor
- ImprovedSetting an input on the Inputs tab now lights a yellow FORCE light, as on a real controller, and the tab explains why engineers treat forcing with care.
- ImprovedMissions with a Stop button now say that real Stop buttons are wired the other way round.
- ImprovedThe first time an edit stops a running PLC, the site says so, and what a real machine would need instead.
1.3.8 Safer with browser translation
Minor
- FixedWhen a browser translates a page, tag names on the machine, the ladder, the tag table and in the mission's text now stay as they are, so they still match the program.
1.3.7 An About page
Minor
- NewAn About page saying who's behind PLC Gym and how every mission is checked, including its hand review by a senior controls engineer.
1.3.6 A hand when you're stuck
Minor
- NewAfter two failed tests, a run of program errors or about 8 minutes on a mission, the site offers a hint, the tour or the brief. It asks once a mission.
- FixedIf the simulation can't start because a new release has just gone live, the page now reloads itself rather than showing an error.
1.3.5 Mission 1 made easier for beginners
Minor
- ImprovedButtons on the machine now work first time. Pressing Start on a stopped program starts the PLC, as a real PLC is already running.
- ImprovedThe Run button now says Run PLC, to set it apart from the machine's own Start button.
- ImprovedMission 1 in ladder is now one change: rename the contact to Start. It used to need a new name and a different contact type.
- ImprovedMission 1's hints now say what to do in ladder, not only in code.
1.3.4 This changelog
Minor
- NewThis page: every release by version and date, with a clear way to report a fault or a bug.
1.3.3 Fixes for smaller laptop windows
Minor
- FixedGuided labs: in a browser window under about 780px tall, the site footer was drawn over the lab and could cover Start. The footer now stays out of the labs.
- FixedLadder editor: clicking a selected contact hid and showed its options in turn. They now stay open until you click elsewhere.
- FixedA wrong tag name gave an error containing an internal code. It now suggests the name you probably meant and points to the right tab.
- FixedCourse page: choosing a module looked as if nothing happened when it opened below the screen. The page now moves to it.
- ImprovedGet a hint now shows a word on smaller laptops, rather than only a lightbulb icon.
1.3.2 Fixes for tablets and phones
Minor
- FixedOn a tablet or a phone on its side, a running machine dragged the page down to the code tabs, so you couldn't scroll back up to watch it.
- FixedOn those screens, missions opened part way down the page, past the machine and the task. They now open at the top.
- FixedOn those screens, the mission tour's card could run off the screen. It now stays in view and the tour can be finished.
- FixedLessons with a wide drawing no longer push the page sideways on a phone.
- FixedThe ladder's options box no longer covers Run and Test on a phone.
- FixedThe Level Up card no longer covers the quiz answers on a phone.
1.3.1 Fixes from playing every mission through
Minor
- FixedGuided labs on a phone: the box to type your line into was hidden on the Code tab, which stopped the labs being finished.
- FixedTyping on a slower phone could garble code, with letters lost or out of place.
- FixedA comment ending in a full stop, followed by Enter, could pull the next line of code into the comment.
- FixedOn a phone, the app card, the Level Up card or the cookie question could cover Run, Test or Next.
- FixedMission tour: the machine now stays in view and lit when you're asked to watch it, and the card moves clear of the phone keyboard.
- FixedAfter a pass, cards piled up on each other. Only one now shows at a time.
1.3.0 Clearer machines, and an easier way to report a fault
Major
- Improved8 challenges and 19 course missions looked almost the same before and after the right code. Each now shows the difference on the machine.
- NewA Spotted a problem? link on missions for anyone signed in, which sends your code and latest test result with your report.
- New10 new guides on the blog.
- ImprovedThe ladder editor is easier to find your way around the first time you use it.
- FixedMission 45: the pumps and the alarm flickered in a storm. They now hold down to the high float.
- FixedA page could crash while a browser was translating it, and some links led to dead ends.
1.2.0 Hiring teams and an easier way round the site
Major
- NewHiring test results now save to the employer's account, so candidates can be compared. A hiring team can share them, each with their own login.
- NewChoose your Studio 5000 version before downloading a Rockwell file.
- NewThe structures and reusable block missions now run in TwinCAT.
- ImprovedNew top bar menus. Ladder and FBD drawings get more room and stay in view beside a failing test.
- FixedThe code converter's green tick could show two programs as the same when they behaved differently.
- FixedPasted counters could be mistaken for timers.
1.1.0 Certificates and free engineer tools
Major
- NewVerified certificates, with a public check page, Add to LinkedIn and a printable PDF.
- NewOnline PLC simulator: run any program on a control panel built from its tags.
- NewPLC code converter: between ladder and Structured Text, and between Rockwell and Siemens.
- NewTest your own code on a 3D machine.
- ImprovedFailed tests are now explained step by step, with a trend and a replay of the failing moment.
- ImprovedChecked against the official Siemens and Rockwell manuals, which led to 11 small corrections.
1.0.0 PLC Gym opens to the public
Major
- New74 missions in 8 modules, with challenges, a machine safety track and operator screen missions.
- NewThree PLC makers: Siemens, Rockwell and Beckhoff TwinCAT.
- NewThe basics for complete beginners, and two guided labs.
- NewA ladder editor that works on the drawing, with drag and drop and undo.
- NewFree accounts that save your progress, and a phone app you can install.
- ImprovedLadder branches, counter outputs and code suggestions, after feedback from a working engineer.