From bidets to telescopes: 6 weird portable 3D printing projects for the weekend (May 1 - 3)

Once you have access to a 3D printer, if you can imagine it, then you can try making it. It'll only cost you time and filament to find out if it's a good idea or not.

This leads to some innovative, weird, and weirdly innovative ideas.

Travelele

Who doesn't love the person who takes a ukulele everywhere?

The Travelele , or travel ukulele, is a tiny musical instrument that first appeared in 2018. To this day, people are still making and enjoying them, with remixes like the improved Travelele with pickup and Steinberg-style Travelele carrying the project's legacy forward.

Unsurprisingly, the Travelele sounds like pretty much any other ukulele you might have heard. It uses four standard nylon ukulele strings and an M4 bolt for assembly, with cheap tuners that you should be able to find on eBay. Though you can buy a cheap ukulele for probably around the same price, the durability and tiny size of the Travelele is not to be understated.

There's also something to be said for 3D printing it yourself, at home.

North Star travel telescope

You'll never say "I forgot my telescope" again

Don't you hate it when you're planning a trip and you can't fit your telescope in your luggage? While that might sound ridiculous, the thought process behind the North Star travel telescope is sound. Telescopes are generally big, heavy things that you have to leave at home even when you venture out into the wilderness, where they perform best.

This travel telescope collapses down and fits inside a backpack. It's available in two focal lengths with three assembly options for each: pre-assembled, a build kit (includes everything you need), and a 3D printing kit (which only includes the bare necessities and the rest must be printed). The 3D printing kit is around $70 cheaper than a fully-assembled model, but the files will set you back around $20.

Even if you don't intend to take it anywhere, its collapsible and portable nature makes it perfect for those who are tight on space (ha).

Nomad portable media server

A self-contained media powerhouse

The Jcorp Nomad is a tiny open-source offline media server that is powered by an ESP32-S3 (integrated into a 1.47-inch LCD display). It uses a microSD card of up to 2TB in size for storage, and gets its power from any standard USB 5V/1A power source. The enclosure itself is the 3D printed part.

Once you've printed and assembled the Nomad, install the firmware and then access video, music, files, eBooks, images, and more by connecting to the Nomad's hotspot. Multiple users can access different media streams simultaneously, with a global search function to find things quickly.

You can buy these preassembled , but it's more fun to build your own (and remarkably affordable to do so ).

Bum Buddy travel bidet

It really hits the spot

Take that fresh blast of aqua with you when you travel with this surprisingly simple 3D print. What amounts to little more than a standard-size bottle cap with a hole in it, the Bum Buddy has nearly 9,000 downloads on MakerWorld and almost 900 ratings and reviews.

If you fancy a laugh, take a look at the reviews where it's abundantly clear that not everyone is familiar with the ins and outs of how a bidet works. These are small prints that are quick to make, and you could keep spares in the car or even hand them out to travel companions.

Camping Washing Machine

Old techniques stand the test of time

Based on the tried-and-tested washboard, the camping washing machine is a small and portable addition to your next camping trip. It consists of three parts and cleans your clothes by holding water inside the main body while you twist and turn the handle to agitate grime and let friction do its work.

Capacity maxes out at a few pairs of socks, a large shirt, or a few hand towels. While you could wash these by hand, for larger loads you'll probably appreciate the added surface area and the ability to wash almost anywhere. The design relies on a cup or two of water and a splash of soap per load.

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Looking for even more projects? Check out last week's collection of 3D-printed mechanical keyboards and macropads .