Well - universal joints have been around for quite a while and were used with V-drives frequently (the old technology). It's like in your car, they switched to constant velocity (CV) axles because as the angles move further out of alignment the CV starts to really shine while the U-joints vibrate the snot out of your chassis.
I know the fit can be an issue, but the other nice things about these established companies is they can often send computer based 3D models or 2D lines for making 1:1 printouts and fit check drawings
You could make the intermediate U-joint or CV -joint system super cheap. Problem is creating the STRONG support and bearing for the thrust loads and that's where the engineering costs are really involved and why these are $X,XXX systems- variable angle drivetrains themselves are cheap and common thanks to the auto industry. Here's the Aquadrive bearing, others are similar, and it's a beefy and costly part.
The way I see this all, I'd get more enjoyment from this than a new instrument suite. Still, out of my price range for now and I just bought a new electric head ($$$). Maybe someone experiment and let me know what I'm missing
I know the fit can be an issue, but the other nice things about these established companies is they can often send computer based 3D models or 2D lines for making 1:1 printouts and fit check drawings
You could make the intermediate U-joint or CV -joint system super cheap. Problem is creating the STRONG support and bearing for the thrust loads and that's where the engineering costs are really involved and why these are $X,XXX systems- variable angle drivetrains themselves are cheap and common thanks to the auto industry. Here's the Aquadrive bearing, others are similar, and it's a beefy and costly part.
The way I see this all, I'd get more enjoyment from this than a new instrument suite. Still, out of my price range for now and I just bought a new electric head ($$$). Maybe someone experiment and let me know what I'm missing