Best Instrumentation YouTube Channels to Learn From in 2027

Best for: anyone who wants clear, animated lessons on automation and control, especially in the first months of a job.

Why I recommend it: RealPars explains control concepts in short videos with clean graphics, so it suits your first weeks in the industry. Its recent uploads include PID control, DCS basics and an introduction to Ignition SCADA.

Start with: “How PID Control Works in Simple Terms”, and then “Distributed Control Systems (DCS) Basics”.

Best for: the electrical and electronics basics behind every instrument loop, such as relays and transistors.

Why I recommend it: founded by Paul Evans in 2015, the channel uses animated diagrams and keeps jargon to a minimum. Although it is not an instrumentation channel as such, its lessons on relays, transistors and three-phase power fill gaps that many I&C freshers have.

Start with: “MOSFET vs Transistor vs Relay”, especially if relays still confuse you.

Best for: animated explanations of instruments and process control, especially for students.

Why I recommend it: the videos are short and focused, such as its recent explainers on impulse lines and on how a process plant runs safely. The channel also promotes paid courses, but the YouTube videos stand on their own.

Start with: its impulse line video, and then read my introduction to instrument impulse tubing alongside it.

Best for: control valves and relief valve standards, as well as real problems from the field.

Why I recommend it: Asad Shaikh has maintained a list of more than 500 instrumentation standards for eight years, and he shares it as a download from his channel page. Uploads have slowed, since his last long video went up about a year ago, but the library is still excellent.

Start with: “8 Years of Control Valve Knowledge in 40 Mins”, because it packs years of control valve experience into one video.

Disclosure: Asad is a friend of mine, so judge the channel for yourself.

Best for: design engineers who want real EPC deliverables explained, such as datasheets and loop diagrams.

Why I recommend it: for design engineers, this is one of the most practical channels I have found. Its long training sessions cover control valve and analyzer datasheets, hook-ups, loop diagrams, cable routing, cause and effect matrices, fire and gas mapping and technical bid evaluation. In addition, a new functional safety series covers IEC 61511 and IEC 61508.

Start with: the loop diagram session, and then the technical bid evaluation sessions.

Best for: students, apprentices and technicians, especially before an interview.

Why I recommend it: the creator has 13 years of onshore and offshore experience in chemical and petrochemical plants. Even though the library is small and most videos are a few years old, the explanations are clear and still relevant.

Start with: its recent electric vs hydraulic vs pneumatic video, then work back through the older uploads.

Best for: broad coverage of PLC, DCS and field instruments, as well as interview quizzes.

Why I recommend it: with more than a thousand videos, it covers pressure, level, flow and temperature, as well as control valves, fire and gas systems and troubleshooting. It is also the companion channel to the well-known instrumentationtools.com website.

Start with: the field instrument topics you use at work, then its interview quizzes before a job change.

Best for: calibration procedures and metrology basics, as well as interview questions.

Why I recommend it: it explains step by step how to calibrate gauges, sensors and transmitters, while also covering why calibration matters. Recent uploads include 3-wire RTD measurement and power plant I&C interview questions.

Start with: the RTD 3-wire video, especially if you work with temperature loops.

Best for: learning correct calibration methods, because they come from a calibration specialist.

Why I recommend it: Beamex has short how-to videos, such as calibrating a pressure transmitter and calibrating and trimming a temperature loop. Naturally, they use Beamex calibrators, but the method carries over to any brand.

Start with: “How to calibrate pressure transmitter”, and then the temperature loop video.

Best for: measuring principles, such as flow, level, pressure, temperature and analysis.

Why I recommend it: it is one of the most active channels on this list, with uploads every week in several languages. So whether you are writing a datasheet or reviewing a vendor offer, you can see the principle before you pick the technology.

Start with: the measuring principle you are specifying this week, such as radar level or Coriolis flow.

Best for: functional safety, especially IEC 61511 work, as well as OT cybersecurity and alarm management.

Why I recommend it: exida posts full webinars, often 30 to 50 minutes long, on IEC 61511, safety management and certification. If you are working towards a functional safety certificate, this channel pairs well with my article on what functional safety certification really teaches you.

Start with: “Functional Safety Fundamentals”, even if you have worked with IEC 61511 before.

Best for: standards and webinars, as well as career development in automation.

Why I recommend it: ISA is the nonprofit association behind many standards we use every day, and it uploads regularly. Because the content comes from the standards body itself, it is a reliable place to hear how a standard is meant to be applied.

Start with: for example, its webinars on the standards you use at work.

Best for: I&C design explainers, because each one is built from a WOIN article.

Why I include it: this is my own channel, so I have listed it last and kept it out of the ranking. Recent videos cover pressure gauge selection and a practical AI guide for core engineers.

Disclosure: I run this channel.