FM ENGINE CONTROLS COURSE

• Safety and fundamentals: General/electrical safety practices essential for controls work.
• Instrumentation and sensors: RTDs, thermocouples, pressure sensors, position indicators, solenoids, relays, and speed sensing—how they work, how they fail, and how to verify signals.
• Digital/electronic circuits: Boolean logic, digital/analog I/O, and circuit building on breadboards to understand real signals and behaviors.
• PLC fundamentals: Hardware and software essentials, ladder logic, 4–20 mA loops, and PID tuning for stable, high-performance control.
• Engine control systems: HMI navigation, control system architecture, SaCoS (intro), Local Engine Control Panel (LECP), and Logiciel Exploitation Engine Controller (LEEC).
• Legacy vs. modern controls: Compare and work with ALCO, OP, and PC systems to bridge gaps across generations of equipment.

Hands-on labs

• Identify and map control components and signal types.
• Tune and adjust systems and sensors for optimal response.
• Troubleshoot sensors, control components, and I/O issues using practical methods.

Competencies developed

• Read, interpret, and validate control signals end-to-end.
• Configure PLC I/O, interpret ladder logic, and 4–20 mA loops.
• Optimize control loops with PID tuning and diagnose instability.
• Operate HMIs and interface confidently with LECP, LEEC, and SaCoS-based systems.
• Troubleshoot sensor and controls faults quickly to improve uptime and reliability.