Arduino PLC Starter Kit

Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) technology is vital for industrial automation, but gaps still exist between current PLC education and industry. To assist in cultivating a robust industrial workforce, Arduino has developed the PLC Starter Kit for advanced high school students and college students. This kit acts as a bridge between theory and practice, closing the gap in current PLC education and preparing students for real-world challenges.

The Explore PLC course includes 20 hours of lessons that cover Programmable Logic Controllers, Modbus RS-485 communications, and integration with industrial simulated systems, among other comprehensive topics. Projects include getting started, an introduction to the software, PLC history, communication protocols, digital input simulator learning, networks, and counting – all accessed through one easy-to-use portal connected to the Arduino Cloud.

There’s also support for five PLC programming languages, enabling students to program the kit effortlessly using the Arduino PLC IDE, a user-friendly environment that simplifies PLC programming. Choose from any of the five programming languages defined by the IEC 61131-3 standard (Ladder, Functional Block Diagram, Structured Text, Sequential Function Chart, or Instruction List) to swiftly code PLC applications or port existing ones to Arduino Opta.

At the heart of the Arduino PLC Starter Kit is the Arduino Opta WiFi. The Arduino Opta WiFi can be programmed and integrated into an industrial automation system with the powerful IDE 2, which offers increased performance, an improved user interface, and many new features, such as autocompletion, a built-in debugger, and syncing sketches with Cloud.

The PLC Starter Kit integrates seamlessly with Arduino Cloud services for IoT projects, enabling remote control functionalities for both classroom and real-world scenarios. This is the simplest and low-code way to get started with connected projects.