How can I learn SCADA online for free?
Start with the free Exploring SCADA Systems PDF for the foundations, take the free Archestra Basics and MQTT and Sparkplug Quick Start courses, then connect to the free LearnSCADA demo simulator, a Modbus TCP practice plant. LearnSCADA's articles and YouTube videos fill in the rest at no cost.
SCADA is easier to learn in the right order: what the parts are, how they talk, then hands on a real system.
The foundations. Exploring SCADA Systems covers sensors, RTUs, PLCs and HMIs, SCADA architecture, protocols such as Modbus, DNP3 and OPC, alarms, security, and where SCADA is used. The PDF is free with a Free Reader account.
The courses. Archestra Basics is a free course on building graphics in AVEVA (Wonderware) Archestra. MQTT and Sparkplug Quick Start is a free short course on the publish-and-subscribe messaging that modern IIoT systems use alongside traditional SCADA.
Hands on. The LearnSCADA demo simulator is a live water plant you can connect to with no account and read over Modbus TCP from your own HMI or SCADA software. The free Maker Edition of Ignition is a good place to build those screens. The 6502 Emulator is a small 8-bit computer in your browser. It teaches BASIC and machine code, and its Fieldbus tab drives a simulated water plant over Modbus.
Keep reading. The LearnSCADA articles cover alarm management, SCADA platforms, IIoT and security, and the YouTube channel has walkthroughs.
A free account costs nothing. It unlocks the free PDF and saves your work in the tools.