Infrastructure & Electronics

Yali Tal

A builder at heart. Navigating the intersection of hardware modding, network defense, and self-hosted systems.

20 years old · still learning · honest about it
yali@homelab — bash
yali@homelab:~$

Experience

Cyber Security Analyst (SOC) IDF · ongoing

Serving as a Junior Analyst within a military Security Operations Center. My role focuses on real-time network monitoring, identifying system vulnerabilities, and maintaining the integrity of digital infrastructure. This service has taught me the importance of operational discipline, rapid incident response, and the technical "why" behind network defense.

Service & Operations Niro Cafe · 2022–2024

Running a busy café floor teaches you to stay calm when everything goes sideways at once. Turns out that's a useful skill everywhere else too.

Projects

The NFC Jukebox ESP32 / IoT

Tap a card, play an album. Physical media for the streaming age — RC522 reader → ESPHome → Home Assistant → Spotify.

↓ tap for details

Built this because I wanted physical interaction with music. Each NFC card is tied to a Spotify URI. Tap → MQTT event → automation triggers playback. The satisfying part is that it feels like putting a record on. Currently have about 12 cards — one per album I actually care about.

Homelab Architecture Linux / Docker

Private cloud at home. Immich for photos, AdGuard for DNS, containerised everything. Breaks more than I'd like. I learn every time it does.

↓ tap for details

Ubuntu Server + Docker Compose stack. The philosophy: if I can't explain how it works, I haven't earned the right to run it. Still working on a few services in that regard.

Horology & Modding Hardware precision

Custom NH35 movement assembly and regulation. Patience-intensive, tolerance-unforgiving. Good practice for electronics work generally.

↓ tap for details

The movement inside a watch operates at tolerances in microns. Working with that trains your hands — and your attention — in ways that carry directly into soldering and PCB work.

Stack

Ubuntu Server Docker ESPHome Home Assistant PC Assembly Soldering Hebrew (native) English (fluent)

A note on experience. I'm 20, a year into my military service, and aware there's a lot I don't know yet. What I can offer: genuine curiosity, the habit of taking things apart to understand them, and the willingness to be wrong and try again.

Say hello

Whether you're building something interesting or just want to talk hardware — I'm around.