I was recently tasked with automating data collection from an industrial power monitor called an Emon-Dmon. The device’s general purpose is to monitor a power feed and collect usage information which can then be billed on. Three current sensors, one for each phase provide the main input. Additional data can be collected from other sources using an input board and dry contacts. Reading data from the device is done using an integrated LCD, or through various communications protocols.

I recently came across the need to encrypt some files. I am already running with full disk encryption however wanted something portable that could be transferred between hosts and decrypted as needed. Running mainly Linux, the baked in choice is Linux Unified Key Setup (LUKS). The following setup will end up looking like this diagram Creating an encrypted container Create a file First step is to create a regular file sized to however big you want the container.

Security should be the number one priority of any organization. As the prevalence of ransom-ware and corporate hacks increase, added scrutiny needs to be placed on the systems we use every day. With any organization, public facing services and endpoints are the most vulnerable. On many Linux systems, the the first service to be publicly available is normally SSH. As the network grows and access matures, this may be placed behind a VPN, however there are many times when SSH is left open on the public internet.

SS Brewtech makes an excellent entry level stainless steel fermenter called the Brew Bucket. At an affordable price, the Brew Bucket is a worthwhile upgrade for anyone looking to move away from glass. With an entry level product, you can not expect all the bells and whistles. One missing feature from the Brew Bucket is the ability to pressure transfer your beer between the Brew Bucket and a keg. Luckily, a simple modification gives you this ability with a few added bonus features.

Introduction One fun aspect of homebrewing is working through problems and engineering solutions. Like most hobbies, there is a DIY aspect to a lot of issues that, in a more professional environment, would be solved with money. One of the first things I built was a stir plate in order to help in yeast propagation and starter creation. Constantly stirring a slurry of yeast and nutrient will help introduce plenty of oxygen that the yeast needs to reproduce.

Have you ever been stuck with the realization that you need to expose many different web services to the internet but only have one public IP on your firewall? As IPv4 space becomes more scarce, this is a problem that is coming up more often than not. One solution is to use a webserver such as Apache that supports virtual hosting. You can store as many websites on this server as it will handle, just need to map the public 80/443 through the firewall to your webhost.