Benedikt Neikes

Services

Available by the hour or day, from €120/h plus VAT, or at a fixed price for scoped tasks such as motor identification. For longer projects, I can join your team at set hours, remote or on-site.

• Motor control & drive development

  For dynamic performance, efficiency, and low noise

  • Sensorless FOC for PMSM and BLDC motors (silent HFI, back-EMF observers)
  • Current, speed, and position control: cascaded or state-space (LQG, adaptive)
  • Drive electronics from prototype to series production

• Bring-up & troubleshooting

  When a drive doesn’t behave as it should

  • Commissioning of new motors, drives, and actuators
  • Root-cause analysis of instability, noise, and start-up issues
  • Tuning and optimization of existing control systems

• Model-based design & embedded software

  From simulation to production code

  • Modeling and simulation in MATLAB/Simulink
  • Automatic code generation and embedded C for microcontrollers
  • Automated control design and MIL/SIL/PIL validation

• Characterization & test systems

  Understanding the hardware before controlling it

  • Motor, gearbox, and actuator parameter identification
  • Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test benches with real-time load emulation
  • Custom test systems for automated end-of-line (EOL) testing

• Training & team support

  Building lasting know-how in your team

  • Workshops on FOC, sensorless control, and model-based design
  • Toolchain setup and coaching for engineers
  • Design reviews and hands-on support during development

Work

A selection of larger projects, each running one to three years. Client names are kept confidential; further details and references are available on request, under NDA if needed.

• Drive system for a 6-DOF flexible-joint robot

  Robotics · Robot manufacturer

  • Computed-torque control with adaptive LQG for vibration suppression
  • Low-cost joint drive electronics
  • Test bench for harmonic drive characterization

• Drive and test system for a UAV propulsion unit

  Aerospace · Startup

  • Hybrid sensorless control from standstill to full speed
  • Highly dynamic field weakening with nonlinearity compensation
  • Hardware-in-the-loop test bench with real-time load emulation

• Sensorless drive system for an electric pump

  Automotive · Tier-1 supplier

  • Silent sensorless control with high-bandwidth disturbance rejection
  • Test bench for motor parameter identification and validation
  • Model-based design toolchain and training for the in-house team

• Control system for an elastic positioning axis

  Manufacturing · Drive manufacturer

  • Custom field-oriented control for a non-standard EC motor
  • Optimal position control with active vibration damping
  • Automated framework for model-based control design

About

I’m Benedikt Neikes, a control systems engineer based in Germany. After studying medical engineering (B.Sc.) and mechatronics (M.Sc.), I’ve spent nearly ten years as an independent engineer, developing motor control solutions for automotive, aerospace, robotics, and manufacturing clients.

My approach is model-based, so algorithms and parameters are grounded in physics rather than empirical tuning. From advanced control design and efficient code implementation to hardware development and validation, I lead projects from concept to production.

Over the years, I’ve helped companies build up their own development capabilities. Working closely with engineering teams and stakeholders, and sharing what I know along the way, is the part of my work I enjoy the most.

Contact

If you’re working on a motor drive system, I’d be happy to hear about your project or challenge.

• Call: Book a 30-minute call
• Email: kontakt@cosyne.de
• Location: Cologne, Germany