Redcat 51 ZWO ASIAIR / Guidescope / Autofocus (EAF) Bracket

This is a remix of @Dread_Pirate_Erik's EAF bracket for the William Optics Redcat 51 telescope:
Original Thingiverse Model

The primary goal of this remix was to improve gear alignment and bracket rigidity, addressing challenges I encountered with maintaining proper meshing between the EAF spur gear and the SmallRig lens gear. My experiences in printing the original design showed some flexing, causing gear misalignment and jumping under torque. Additionally, keep in mind the Redcat series has several versions (Gen1, Gen2, and Gen2.5), each with slight differences. The Gen3 model has transitioned to a rack-and-pinion focuser, which is consistent with most astrographs where you won't need this system.

Bracket Adjustments

Adjustable Slots: I added mounting slots to the bracket where it attaches to the telescope’s guide scope holes. This allows for left-to-right adjustment of gear meshing.
Rigidity Concerns: To address flexing, I recommend someone remixing this design with heat inserts to create four mounting points. In my case, I had to overtighten the screws to prevent the bracket from wiggling under the EAF's torque.

EAF Gear Adjustments

Gear Size: Based on feedback from the original model’s comments, I initially tried adding an extra tooth to the gear but found this caused more gear-jumping issues. I reverted to a 60-tooth design and set the Pitch Circle Diameter (PCD) to 48mm, maintaining the required 0.8 mod/pitch standard for lens and cinema gears.
Improved Shaft Design: I extended the shaft extrusion to move the mounting hole further from the gear face. This allows for the addition of a heat insert, enabling a grub screw or M3x8 bolt for better gear attachment. This is particularly helpful for users with loose tolerance printers, reducing backlash and improving stability (validated through guide logs and EAF step/backlash settings in N.I.N.A.).

Material Considerations

To mitigate bracket flexing and enhance durability, I used PETG-CF20 filament and tested PET-CF20. The following print settings were used:

Shells/Walls: Increased to 4
Infill: Triangular, 40%
Layer Height: 0.16mm