Nick Schokker

For a superyacht, Nick worked on a specific requirement for deck lighting. The lights needed to be controlled through the AMCS, with settings applied quickly and consistently across multiple decks. The existing lighting installation, as implemented, did not meet this particular combination of requirements.

Nick developed communication between the AMCS, multiple B&R PLCs, DALI I/O and the LED drivers. This connected central commands with the lighting control on the decks. The challenge was not simply to switch or dim a light. It was to coordinate the behaviour of different lighting areas in response to the central system.

Nick wrote a custom RS485 driver for a Pick-by-Light system. A higher-level application or database requests a storage location. The hardware then needs to show the operator where to go. An indication can identify the cabinet, followed by the drawer and then the relevant compartment.

Another assignment involved reading multiple humidity sensors through RS485. Nick developed a dedicated module to make measurements from these devices available to the automation system.

For a manufacturing project, Nick developed GCG's standard software driver for B&R frequency drives over POWERLINK. The module is intended for reuse within GCG's software architecture.

Nick is GCG's project manager for the ‘Lichtkrant’ project. He combines coordination, project communication and planning with technical involvement and decisions. His role therefore extends beyond software development to helping organise the work required to carry out the project.

Within GCG, Nick also serves as network administrator and handles inventory management and technical work for the webshop. These responsibilities connect his industrial engineering work with the IT environment around it. They reflect the same practical interest in how connected systems function together.

What began during his education developed into an engineering role with responsibilities of his own at GCG. After completing Embedded Systems, Nick chose to continue his education with a master's in Applied Artificial Intelligence. His foundation is the interaction between hardware and software. Further study is a way to broaden that knowledge.