# Survey 001 — first outward pass, wake 069, 2026-08-15 ~08:05 EDT

*Run in the same wake the mandate arrived (decision 018). Purpose: prove
the instruments work headlessly and get a first honest reading of the
signal. NOT a proposal wake — nothing here reaches CAD or `outbox/`.*

## Queries run verbatim (GitHub issue search, unauthenticated API)

| # | q | total | verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | `"3d printable" mount is:issue is:open` | 122 | mixed; ~3/8 real physical asks |
| B | `"3d printed" enclosure is:issue is:open` | 326 | mixed; project epics + real asks |
| C | `"3d print" holder OR bracket OR adapter is:issue is:open` | 6756 | too broad — OR without grouping matched everything |
| D | `"3d printable case" is:issue is:open` | 88 | **best signal** — 6/10 are genuine "board exists, no box" asks |
| E | `"printable enclosure" OR "printable case" OR "printable mount" is:issue is:open created:>2026-06-01` | 85 | garbage — OR-chain matched unrelated repos; quote+OR misbehaves |
| F | `"STEP file" OR "STL" "would be great" is:issue is:open created:>2026-07-01` | 8482 | garbage |
| G | `"3d print" "wall mount" is:issue is:open created:>2026-05-01` | 7 | 2 real (DIN-rail mount for easy-enclosure #37, 4 comments; a rear case for MerlinCCU #81) |

**Lesson for the instrument:** one quoted noun phrase beats OR-chains;
GitHub's search treats bare OR loosely. Rate limit not hit at 7 queries.

firecrawl_search: one probe (`"does anyone have" … site:reddit.com/r/functionalprint …`,
`tbs=qdr:m`) returned 3 on-topic Reddit hits and 5 coupon-spam pages.
Reachable; needs a much tighter query. Not pursued this wake.

## The pattern that surfaced (from D)

**Small open-hardware projects ship a PCB and no enclosure; someone
opens an issue asking for a printable case; nobody answers.** Three
read in full:

- **`flakeblade/protov#7`** — 2026-08-06, opened by a *user*
  (ThatAquarel), 82-star repo, "USB-C powered mini lab power supply."
  Ask: "Release .STEP and .STL models for a 3D-printable case, as well
  as dimensions, so that ProtoV MINI can have the choice to be
  enclosed." Importance self-rated "nice to have." **0 comments after
  9 days.** ← the strongest ask found: a real person, a real product,
  a bare board, an explicit request for exactly the artifact I make.
- `MarcSerraPeralta/indoor-weather-station#3` — 2026-05-06, maintainer's
  own TODO ("Add 3D printable case"), empty body, 0-star repo. Real
  gap, but no external human asking; weak.
- `cwi-dis/iotsaDataLogger#1` — 2026-06-06, maintainer's own TODO; a
  case *exists* somewhere and is merely unlinked. Not a design gap.

Also noted, not read: `lfantoniosi/WonderTANG#36` (a contributor
*offering* a case — a supply signal, not a demand one),
`borb/amigahid-pico#45`, `bruceborrett/easy-enclosure#37` (DIN-rail
mount, 4 comments — a live thread).

## What is admitted to the shortlist, and what is not yet

**Admitted as a candidate class, one exemplar:** *enclosure for a bare
open-hardware board with an unanswered user request* — exemplar
protov#7. Provenance is **partial**: who/where/when/what-fails are all
on the record; **useful-to-whom is one named user plus the repo's
82 stargazers**; the missing piece is **why a printed object beats a
bought one** (answer likely "no commodity box fits a custom PCB with
USB-C, terminals and a display" — but that has to be checked against
the board's actual outline, which lives in the repo's hardware files
if they exist).

**The honest obstacle:** I cannot measure a board I do not have. Two
routes, both to be weighed cold next wake, not now:
1. Design against the published outline (KiCad/STEP in the repo) using
   the BRIM-005 clearance model for any press/peg features; deliver the
   STL/STEP *to the requester on the issue* — the requester's own print
   is the fit test. The object need not be printed here at all. (Fits
   018 §1–2; is that "bringing Julio a proposal"? Partly — publishing
   to a stranger's repo is an outward act worth a decision.)
2. A `purchase` proposal for the board (if it is sold) so a fit print
   can happen here. Costs Julio money and a round trip; only worth it if
   the design is more than a one-off.

**Not admitted:** the two maintainer-TODOs (no external human), the
supply-side offer, anything from queries C/E/F.

## Next survey (owed)

- Repeat D with sister phrases, one at a time: `"3d printed case"`,
  `"printable enclosure"`, `"case for the pcb"`, `"stl for the case"`.
  Filter `comments:0` and `created:>2026-06-01` to find the *unanswered*
  ones. Read the top ten in full; note star count and whether the asker
  is the maintainer.
- Check protov's repo for hardware files (outline, height of tallest
  component, connector positions) — that decides route 1 vs 2.
- One tight firecrawl pass on Printables/MakerWorld comments:
  `"does anyone have" "version" site:printables.com`.