Panel schedule
Lay the circuits out on the two legs of the panel, see an imbalance warning when one leg carries too much, move a load to balance it, write the schedule, then take the chapter quiz.
Open it in the simulatorAll paths
Electrician capstone: plan a small shop
Plan a small woodshop end to end on low-voltage models: scope, load calculation, panel schedule, a seal-in control circuit, a motor starter with overload, an inspection test and a portfolio write-up.
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What you will build
3 projects, built step by step
7 lessons in 3 chapters, about 7 hours on a simulated breadboard. Free, in your browser, every step checked by the simulator.
Motor starter
The saw's starter grows a current sensor: START seals in, STOP is fail-safe, a jam trips an inverse-time overload, and RESET is refused until it cools. Ends with the chapter quiz.
Open it in the simulatorWrite-up and next steps
Gather the evidence from the starter, take the last chapter quiz, and write the project up for your portfolio, with an honest note on the real path into the trade.
Open it in the simulatorThe map
Chapter by chapter
Each lesson opens when the one before it is done, and each chapter ends in a project.
Chapter 1
Plan the job
Scope the shop, run the load numbers and balance the panel schedule.
- Open350 XP
Scope the job
The brief: a small woodshop with lights, bench outlets, a compressor and a table saw. Read the model panel, measure every stand-in load, and write a one-page scope of what is in, what is out and who does the licensed work.
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- Locked300 XP
Load calculation
Turn the shop's loads into amps on paper, then prove the 80% rule on the model: a continuous load over 80% of its breaker turns yellow, over 100% turns red, and you fix the circuit until it reads OK again.
0 of 5 steps
- ProjectLocked700 XP
Panel schedule
Lay the circuits out on the two legs of the panel, see an imbalance warning when one leg carries too much, move a load to balance it, write the schedule, then take the chapter quiz.
0 of 6 steps
Chapter 2
Motor controls
A three-wire start/stop circuit, then a starter with a real overload model.
- Locked350 XP
Control circuit
The three-wire start/stop circuit for the saw, on a 12 V model: a DPDT relay plays the contactor, STOP is normally closed, START seals in, and an overload contact drops it out. Trace it, run it and prove every rung.
0 of 6 steps
- ProjectLocked860 XP
Motor starter
The saw's starter grows a current sensor: START seals in, STOP is fail-safe, a jam trips an inverse-time overload, and RESET is refused until it cools. Ends with the chapter quiz.
0 of 7 steps
Chapter 3
Test and hand over
Run an inspection checklist on a PLC-style starter and write the project up.
- Locked350 XP
Inspection checklist
Write the functional test an inspector or commissioning tech would run on the saw controls, then run it on a PLC-style starter: START, STOP, E-stop, a latched overload and a RESET that never restarts the motor.
0 of 6 steps
- ProjectLocked640 XP
Write-up and next steps
Gather the evidence from the starter, take the last chapter quiz, and write the project up for your portfolio, with an honest note on the real path into the trade.
0 of 6 steps
Syllabus
Every lesson in the course
All 7 lessons, in order, each with what it covers. Any of them opens in the editor right away.
Plan the job
- Scope the jobThe brief: a small woodshop with lights, bench outlets, a compressor and a table saw. Read the model panel, measure every stand-in load, and write a one-page scope of what is in, what is out and who does the licensed work.
- Load calculationTurn the shop's loads into amps on paper, then prove the 80% rule on the model: a continuous load over 80% of its breaker turns yellow, over 100% turns red, and you fix the circuit until it reads OK again.
- Panel scheduleLay the circuits out on the two legs of the panel, see an imbalance warning when one leg carries too much, move a load to balance it, write the schedule, then take the chapter quiz.
Motor controls
- Control circuitThe three-wire start/stop circuit for the saw, on a 12 V model: a DPDT relay plays the contactor, STOP is normally closed, START seals in, and an overload contact drops it out. Trace it, run it and prove every rung.
- Motor starterThe saw's starter grows a current sensor: START seals in, STOP is fail-safe, a jam trips an inverse-time overload, and RESET is refused until it cools. Ends with the chapter quiz.
Test and hand over
- Inspection checklistWrite the functional test an inspector or commissioning tech would run on the saw controls, then run it on a PLC-style starter: START, STOP, E-stop, a latched overload and a RESET that never restarts the motor.
- Write-up and next stepsGather the evidence from the starter, take the last chapter quiz, and write the project up for your portfolio, with an honest note on the real path into the trade.
Kits
Build it on your bench too
Every lesson runs in the simulator with nothing to buy. When you want the real thing, these kits have the parts.
Find your kit
Pick the starter kit you own and run every lesson in its manual with the same parts on the same pins.
See every kitQuestions
About Electrician capstone: plan a small shop
Is Electrician capstone: plan a small shop free?
Yes. All 7 lessons of Electrician capstone: plan a small shop are free and run in your browser, with nothing to install and no parts to buy before you start.
Do I need any parts?
No. Every circuit is built on a simulated breadboard, and the simulator checks each step as you go. When you want to build it for real, the same parts and wiring work on a real bench.
How long does Electrician capstone: plan a small shop take?
About 7 hours: 7 lessons in 3 chapters, each one a few short steps. Your progress is kept, so you can stop after any lesson and pick up where you left off.
What will I build?
Each chapter ends in a project that puts it together: Panel schedule, Motor starter and Write-up and next steps.
Where do I start?
With "Scope the job", and each lesson builds on the one before it. New to circuits? Electronics basics is the course that starts from zero.