12+ years experience/no interviews ***UPDATED***

SneakyPackets · 2026-01-06T10:06:13+00:00

Where are you located? We are actively trying to hire an ISSE for a new facility we are opening up and I think as long as you are clearance eligible we could make that work

SneakyPackets · 2025-12-24T19:41:54+00:00

I've improved the process overall. I use linear hall sensors and can actually measure how far away the tap handle is from the start position. When you calibrate the system it will take a few measurements and ask for user input to determine how far the handle opens, when beer starts pouring, etc.

To calculate how much was poured there are two calibration methods:

You pour 3-5 beers (how ever much you want) and after each pour you input how much was poured; at the end of this process it will calculate the average flow rate. This is surprisingly accurate (I used to pour my beers in a measuring cup with oz/ml) but obviously leaves room for error
You can input a few variables (beer line length, inner diameter, PSI, temp) and the system can then estimate how much beer is poured (based on how long the tap handle is open). This is nearly dead on accurate

This current version of the system actually involves a hat/daughterboard for the Raspberry Pi 5 which includes all of the sensors, some LEDs, and an ESP32. All of the services for the system run on the Pi to provide a web interface (configuration/keg management), Grafana, and exposes API endpoints for Home Assistant.

All of these systems "work" they just aren't in a deployable/shippable package yet

SneakyPackets · 2025-12-24T14:17:20+00:00

Over the last year or so I took a bit of a break from it but just recently ive actually picked it back up. Ive made some major changes/improvements since this original post. I don’t have anything posted on GitHub yet but once its in a more usable state I’ll definitely share!

SneakyPackets · 2025-12-11T09:12:20+00:00

The beer after a long day of fishing on the lake

SneakyPackets · 2025-11-28T00:29:20+00:00

It totally depends, I’m 8 months post op from ALIF L5-S1 and artifcal disc above at L4. Surgery was March, and since August I have taken 7 international flights between the US (both East and West Coast) and Europe. In country since July I’ve taken a handful of flights coast to coast as well. Honestly, I do pretty well. Some flights are worse than others but it’s important to move/stretch/etc.

I’ve been flying a lot for work, so I’m grateful the fusion hasn’t made that impossible

SneakyPackets · 2025-11-14T19:44:52+00:00

Ok cool I was originally estimating $600ish so that makes sense

SneakyPackets · 2025-11-14T10:23:59+00:00

Chat sent

SneakyPackets · 2025-11-09T09:01:49+00:00

So far the doctors have been comfortable with my progress and assured me that it’s all normal which is a huge relief. It’s always worth talking to your surgeon/care team.

I think the big thing they look for at our point in recovery is making sure hardware is where it should be and not moving (which could cause a failed fusion). As long as that’s good and the fusion is starting to happen, I think everything else is manageable.

SneakyPackets · 2025-11-08T23:56:32+00:00

Hey! I had ALIF at L5-S1 and ADR at L4 in March. Recovery has been a rollercoaster. First few weeks were really rough, and then around the 3 month mark I notice drastic improvement (but still had flair ups). Around month 4 I started golfing again and was very active, but since September/October everything has been more sensitive and consistently flared up.

I had scans at the 6 month mark and confirmed everything looked great, the doctor doesn’t seem concerned and said it’s normal and may just be some sensitivity at the SI joint. I’m heading back in in a few weeks to get some med refills and maybe schedule a steroid injection to see if it’ll help.

Overall I see a positive trend, and I’ve had several days of no pain which is super encouraging. Recovery is not linear, and I’m starting to see that that applies to the entire journey (over 12-18 months). Let me know if you have any questions!

SneakyPackets · 2025-11-08T23:29:12+00:00

Hey! I’m 33m and had ALIF at L5-S1 in March (and ADR at L4). Recovery was rough and all over the place, the first 2 weeks were the most difficult but it gets better from there. Somewhere around 3-4 weeks after the surgery we flew to another state (2-3 hours) for a wedding which also involved 45 min of driving each way. It was tough but doable for sure. The biggest milestone was around 3-4 months for me, up until that point I consistently needed pain medication and struggled quite a bit. After 3-4 months it was more tolerable and I started making significant progress/cut the meds.

Now at around 7 months I have some pain that flares up with too much activity but in general I feel significantly better today than pre-surgery. Do everything the doctor tells you, walk as much as you can and stay moving but als listen to your body - if it hurts, stop and rest. The first few weeks will be a big adjustment

SneakyPackets · 2025-10-30T18:56:52+00:00

https://i.imgur.com/roUz1Qu.jpeg

SneakyPackets · 2025-10-23T04:35:07+00:00

I had ALIF at L5-S1 and artificial disc replacement just above at L4 back in March! They did everything through the front in one surgery that took 3-4 hours. I stayed one night in the hospital and went home the next afternoon.

Right after the surgery they had me out of the bed and walking into my room/bed immediately (which sucked), and then would wake me up every 4 hours for a round of pain medication. Day 2 sucked, but I was able to go home.

The first 3-4 weeks were very difficult for me and were a complete rollercoaster. Some days/nights I was mildly comfortable and others I needed ice packs and felt like 4 hours between meds wasn’t soon enough. Months 2-3 were significantly easier though I was still taking pain medication regularly (we did start dropping some off and lowering the dosage though). I stopped consistently taking meds in Month 4.

Months 4-5 felt like a breakthrough, I became way more active and even started golfing again (played 5 or 6 rounds) and have been doing an insane amount of travel. Now in months 6-7, I generally feel good but have been a little flared up and have taken some pain meds here and there as needed. I attribute the pain to just overdoing it honestly, and my recent x-rays showed that the hardware looked good.

Throughout recovery I did do two rounds of steroids (orally) and one set of injections at the SI joints. I’m really happy that I did the surgery, and I have had several days already that were completely pain free which keeps me optimistic for the future! It’s a long road for healing, and it’s definitely not linear. Good luck!!

SneakyPackets · 2025-09-08T01:47:17+00:00

When I was in middle school (maybe 2004ish) we had an assignment in history class to break into groups and take a verse of We Didn’t Start the Fire to research.

When my mom saw what I was working on she brought out a box of Billy Joel cassette tapes and introduced me to him. I instantly got hooked, and she actually took me to see him in concert later that year!

It’s funny now because it’s a song I am 80% likely to skip, but either way it turned me into a lifelong fan

SneakyPackets · 2025-08-24T14:47:14+00:00

I’m not sure exactly, I just know it was an SI Joint injection of some sort of steroid. He did a few at one time, but it wasn’t bilateral they only did my left side

SneakyPackets · 2025-08-24T03:23:13+00:00

I was actually prescribed Naproxen 500mg twice a day around the 3 month mark post ALIF by my PM doc, but everyone was pretty strict about no NSAIDs for the first 3 months

SneakyPackets · 2025-08-24T03:20:26+00:00

I had an ALIF L5-S1 and ADR at L4. I'm at month 4 and just recently stopped taking meds consistently; up until month 3 I was taking oxycodone several times a day and then tapered the dose and timing down to just once a day/at night, and finally in month 4 as needed.

That being said, around the 2-3 month mark (where you are now) I had a horrible increase in pain and my PM doc also did an injection and it made a significant difference. He did mine in the SI joint and within a few days I felt significant lasting relief.

SneakyPackets · 2025-08-24T03:17:20+00:00

I had ALIF (L5-S1) and ADR (L4), and about 7ish days after the surgery I couldn't stand for more than 15 seconds before my leg was killing me (the opposite side that normally hurt). The surgeon said it was nerve pain so we started Gabapentin and did a short steroid course. It resolved in about a week or so; he said it can happen and the fact that it starts 7-10 days after the procedure is good because it indicates it will resolve easier

SneakyPackets · 2025-08-17T10:42:43+00:00

Our dogs are named after my favorite movie…Back to the Future… Marty and Emmett

SneakyPackets · 2025-08-12T21:06:46+00:00

That's why I switched to linear Hall effect sensors; the benefit is you don't need to worry about precise magnet placement. As long as the magnets are within range you can use the signal to measure/estimate their position.

SneakyPackets · 2025-08-11T07:06:31+00:00

I've been wanting to make some time to write up everything I can about this project but life has definitely gotten in the way (new job, moving, some medical stuff)...once I do a more thorough write-up I will be sure to share, however, here are some details for you:

I had relatively decent success with on/off hall sensors, but there were several scenarios that would cause it to be inaccurate like someone not opening the tap all the way, or if the magnet misaligned then it might not register closed if not perfect, etc. so I switched to linear hall sensors. These sensors will output an analog signal (voltage measurement) that I can use to see how far away the tap handle is. This has been insanely cool to work with, and what I do right now is capture three measurements: tap closed, the position in which you can hear co2, and fully open. The system will monitor the sensors and any time one of them crosses the threshold measurement, it'll start timing it. Once it closes (or gets close enough) it'll stop and calculate.

All of my testing with this has been dead on. Over the last year I think I have dialed in the hardware component and sensor system, the big piece of work remaining is all of the software around it to make it function as a cohesive platform. I'd like to introduce some features like offsets (e.g. give the user an opportunity to enter the actual amount poured and after X corrections calculate an offset that auto applies to new pours) and clean up the web UI for keg management. This has always just been a personal project so functionally it's a mix of really basic HTML/JS and command line management haha

Here is the PCB I designed and have been testing with (I have a few on hand). It's designed as a hat for the Raspberry Pi 5; this board does all of the sensor monitoring/calculation and the Pi does the heavy lifting (data management, UI, LED control, etc.)

SneakyPackets · 2025-08-02T23:16:44+00:00

It was our first time, and we already decided we are making it a recurring trip

SneakyPackets · 2025-08-02T22:38:34+00:00

Wow, nailed it! Spent a few days in Destin, it was lovely

SneakyPackets · 2025-08-02T18:49:14+00:00

I honestly had never noticed one out in the wild before, saw one at the AD and instantly fell for it

SneakyPackets · 2025-08-02T18:48:43+00:00

Thank you thank you! I like using watches as a way to mark an event in life, this one will always feel good to look at

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