# Survey 003 — wake 072, 2026-08-15 (~10:50–11:10 EDT)

*Append-only. Queries verbatim, results as returned, verdicts with reasons.*

Context: Julio's 07:47 note ("go find the problems yourself") is the brief.
Surveys 001–002 lived entirely in one class — *case for a bare open-hardware
board* on GitHub. This wake widened the **query classes** on GitHub and
tested **two new sources** (Reddit request subs, Printables comment mining).
Result up front: **nothing admitted.** Two sources characterized, one
half-dead, one rationed. The board for C-02 has not arrived; F4 unreplied.

## Part 1 — GitHub, wider classes (`bin/issue_survey.py`, no --repo-meta)

| # | q | total | outside asks (NONE, c=0) | verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L | `"3d printed case" is:issue is:open comments:0 created:>2026-07-10` | 6 | `waveshareteam/RP2350-Touch-LCD-3.5#1` (Howie654321, 08-01 — same vendor-CAD ask as 002's, re-listed) · `mmccoyd/hillside_dactyl_50#1` (STEP supply request) · `google-gemma/gemma-translator#13` (parts numbers, not an object) | none new; 3 OWNER roadmap tickets |
| M | `"anyone have" stl is:issue is:open comments:0 created:>2026-05-01` | 3 | `Board-Folk/MegaCD-Main-BD#6` (Sega CDX parts — retro-console repro; not read) | none |
| N | `"3d printed" bracket is:issue is:open comments:0 created:>2026-06-01` | 4 | none (OWNER white-papers, a COLLABORATOR CAD-recreation task) | none |
| O | `"3d printed" adapter is:issue is:open comments:0 created:>2026-06-01` | 4 | `prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy#5402` (a *firmware* feature ask that mentions a printed adapter — software gap) | none |

Reading: the monthly re-run (L) is worth keeping — it is cheap and it is
how C-02 surfaced — but the noun-swap classes (bracket/adapter/"anyone
have") return OWNER epics and off-topic hits at this date window. GitHub is
a **hardware-repo** instrument; widening the noun does not widen the
population, it dilutes it. Next widening should be by **repo population**
(e.g. `topic:open-hardware`, `topic:pcb`, keyboard/handheld orgs) not by noun.

## Part 2 — Reddit request subreddits (new source)

- `firecrawl_search` with `site:reddit.com/r/3Dprintingrequests …` +
  `tbs=qdr:m` → 7 results, **all spam/off-site** (SAM.gov, Facebook groups).
  Confirms 001's note: loose site: queries are useless.
- `firecrawl_scrape old.reddit.com/…` → **"we do not support this site"**
  (hard block, any proxy).
- Direct `www.reddit.com/r/<sub>/new.json` → **403**. `…/new/.rss` → **200**
  and parses (Atom). `r/3Dprintingrequests` has **one entry, the 2023 lounge
  post** — the sub is dead. `3Dprintrequests`, `printrequests`,
  `3DModelingRequests`, `3dmodelrequests` → 0 entries (nonexistent or empty).
  Then `functionalprint`, `3Dprinting` → 0 entries and the search endpoint
  → **429**: Reddit rate-limits unauthenticated RSS after ~6 fetches/min.
- **Verdict:** RSS is a usable, *rationed* read (≤5 fetches, then wait);
  the dedicated request subs are dead. Real request traffic on Reddit lives
  as posts inside r/functionalprint / r/3Dprinting with request flair —
  reachable via `…/search/.rss?q=…&restrict_sr=1&sort=new&t=month` **one
  query per wake**, cold cache. Untested beyond the 429.

## Part 3 — Printables comment mining (new source, API proven at 071)

`api.printables.com/graphql/` (trailing slash): `searchPrints2(query, limit)
{ items { id name commentCount downloadCount likesCount } }` and
`print(id){ comments(limit){ id text created } }` — introspection is
disabled, so shapes were found by trial. 24 calls, no throttling.

Terms: `usb-c dongle case` (0 items) · `debug board case` · `esp32 gps case`
· `wall mount bracket` · `cable clip` · `tool holder`; up to 6 models with
≥2 comments per term; 40 comments each; regex for ask-shaped phrases.
**14 hits, of which 11 were false positives** — "just what I **needed**"
(satisfied users) matched the `i need` clause. The three real asks:
- Gridfinity tool holder collection (301673): *"any chance … SAE/Torx
  versions?"* (2023-02) and *"would you also have the deburr holder … not
  in your files"* (2022-11).
- Hinged Cable Clip (173237): *"post STLs as well"* (2022-05).

**Verdict:** the source is real but its native ask is **"add a variant of
your popular model"** — a supply-side request to a specific author, three
years old here, and one that a stranger printing it does not answer. Weaker
than GitHub's "nobody has made this at all." Worth one more pass only with a
tighter pattern (drop `i need`; add `does anyone know of`, `is there a
model`, `looking for`) and sorting models by `commentCount` desc via a
category listing rather than search. Not this wake.

## Admitted / removed

Nothing admitted. Nothing removed. C-02 unchanged (board in transit;
print-015 approved for manual print at 09:07; F4 0 replies at 10:46 EDT).

## Owed

- Monthly L re-run (next ~09-15). Widen GitHub by population, not noun.
- Reddit: one `functionalprint` search-RSS query per wake, cold.
- Printables: one pass with the tightened pattern, `commentCount`-sorted.
- Re-check `tiehfood/esphome-gps-pps-ntp-server#2` (~08-24).