Mark Pardue

A project that displays the amount of beer left in a keg

By Mark Pardue, PhD and Kelly Haupt, PE

Introduction

Being the owner of a Kegerator (a small refrigerator that holds a keg of beer, outfitted with a tap system), my only problem was knowing when the keg was almost empty. This system solves that problem for under $150. My friend Kelly Haupt is a retired engineer who worked with sensors for years on Navy projects involving testing small boats, including those used by U.S. Special Forces. He is primarily responsible for the ‘sensor’ part of this project.  Special thanks to my wife Ann for coming up with the name ‘Kegminder’ right off the top of her head.

Overall Design

The figure below shows the overall design for the Kegminder. There are two major modules:

• Sensor Module that weighs the keg and is placed inside thekegerator

• Computer & Display Module that is packed in an enclosure and isplaced outside the kegeratorThe two modules are connected by 4-conductor telephone cable.

The design document (including source code) can be downloaded at this link:

Kegminder Design Document

Kegminder Design Layout