Another nice surprise for the project: the open-source prototype of the Smallest, shared on Printables, was featured on Hacker News, under the title “3D printable 6” f/5 compact travel telescope model.“ The thread climbed to the front page quickly and racked up dozens of comments.
What the discussion covers
As is often the case on Hacker News, the comments go straight to the practical questions:
- Where to source the optics? Several commenters recommend picking up a secondhand Skywatcher Dobsonian to get a 150/750 mirror set, quality the community describes as “consistently good.”
- Which print material? PETG comes up repeatedly as the recommended choice over PLA, which is seen as too heat-sensitive for outdoor use. The debate continues over the merits (and potential brittleness) of carbon-fiber-filled filaments.
- How durable are printed parts, really? A whole sub-thread digs into plastic durability: the consensus is that a properly printed PETG part, with at least 25% infill, holds up well for functional components.
- Cost, documentation, actual viewing quality. Other questions cover the real build budget, how clear the documentation is, and whether the project delivers on observation quality, beyond mechanical elegance.
- Advice for beginners. Several experienced amateur astronomers suggest newcomers try an astronomy club first before jumping into a DIY build, a nice reminder that the Smallest speaks to tinkerers and curious newcomers alike.
Open-source version vs. commercial version
As with the Hackaday coverage, one useful clarification for anyone discovering the project through this thread: the version freely available on Printables is the Smallest’s original prototype, not the final version. It’s the design that proved the concept and built a community around it, but many features added since then (mechanical refinements, finish options, compatible accessories, and more) aren’t part of it.
The version sold in the shop reflects how the telescope has evolved since, with those improvements built in. Both paths make sense: print the open-source prototype to understand and experiment with the design, or go with the commercial version to get all the improvements right away.
Thank you
Thanks to everyone who commented, asked questions, and shared the project on Hacker News, and more broadly to the whole community that’s been printing, testing, and building the Smallest from the start, especially Magnitude 78, a major source of inspiration for this project.
Check out the Smallest in the shop, the open-source files on Printables, or the full discussion on Hacker News.