Live Online - Instrumentation & Controls Course

Course Overview (Live Online)

Next public class: March 8-11, 2027 (Mon-Thu), $995 per person. See the course schedule.

Length: 4 days, about 20 hours of live instruction

Class times: 9:00-11:30 am and 12:30-3:00 pm Mountain time (10:00-12:30 and 1:30-4:00 Central) each day, with the instructor staying on after class for questions.

Format: live, instructor-led demonstrations on real instruments and calibration equipment, plus simulation-based practice with our loop, level and valve simulators.

Prerequisites: basic familiarity with the I&C field is suggested but not required. The course starts at the fundamentals.

Summary Description: This course covers the core fundamentals of industrial instrumentation, measurement, calibration and controls, with heavy emphasis on the topics that are often misunderstood in industry and cause many maintenance, troubleshooting and plant performance problems. Students watch real 4-20mA loops, smart transmitters and calibrators being used on camera, then practise in the simulators.

Course Agenda (4 days)

• Day 1 - Loops, test equipment and smart transmitters: the 4-20mA loop and analog I/O and how to troubleshoot them; loop diagrams and P&IDs; Fluke 789, Fluke 724 and HART communicators; smart versus analog transmitters; accuracy, error and tolerance.
• Day 2 - Calibration and measurement: transmitter configuration (damping, AI and AO trim, fault settings, alerts); calibration concepts, programs and common mistakes; signal noise and filtering; RTDs and thermocouples; DP level and DP flow.
• Day 3 - Final control elements and process behaviour: control valves, actuators, I/P converters and positioners; valve characteristics, stiction, deadband and hysteresis read from the trend; the bump test on self-regulating and integrating processes, using our valve and level simulators.
• Day 4 - PID, tuning, troubleshooting and safety: P, I and D, direct and reverse action; open-loop bump and lambda tuning; reset windup; cascade, feedforward, ratio and split range (overview); judging a loop from its trend; process safety and basic SIS proof-testing concepts; final troubleshooting exercise.

Simulators and Learning Portal (30 days included)

Every student gets 30 days of access to our online learning portal and simulators, included with registration. The simulators include our 4-20mA loop troubleshooting bench and our level and valve process simulators.

• Course session recordings for review
• Interactive troubleshooting simulations with built-in mentoring and guidance
• Step-by-step tutorials and practice questions
• Troubleshooting aids, forms and checklists

Portal and simulator subscriptions can be renewed for a small fee.

Optional Hands-On Equipment

Instrumentation and calibration training stations are available to rent case by case, based on availability. Please call or email before booking. Details on our hands-on options page.

Who should attend

Anyone from a mechanical technician or operator who needs to understand the instrumentation on their equipment, up to senior instrument technicians and engineers. The in-person version is also offered: see Instrumentation & Controls (in person).

Each student attending receives a certificate of completion.

Questions, or training several people from one team? Email [email protected] or call/text Mike at (208) 715-1590.