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ATK003: 20×30 Alternate Rig System

Alternative to ATK001 & ATK002

  • Manufacturer: Vivo and various others with similar identical designs
  • Product ID: Vivo STAND-V002C

Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/VIVO-Adjustable-Computer-Monitor-STAND-V002C/dp/B00FOTABWY/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_product_top

This alternate rig mounting system is still in development. If you can get hold of the ATK001 system (with ATK002 add on arms) then that is preferable as these use a 30x30mm arm cross section which is stronger. Please note that both ATK003 and the recommended versions of ATK001 and ATK002 use vertical poles with the same 35mm diameter which means that you can mix and match a little. For example you may wish to use ATK003 for your sidewall controls and choose to later source a 30x30mm arm for the flight stick to give extra stability.

To use this system you need slightly different mounting brackets than are included as standard with control downloads. If you are keen to use this system in advance of release the current version has been shared in our Discord in the #standard-rig-discussion channel dated 16-Mar-2025. They will hopefully prove robust and will be officially released soon.

The big advantage of this configuration of monitor stand of course is that it comes with 2 arms allowing you to mount throttles, trims etc to the upper and your flight stick to the lower. Alternatively for P-51 fans you can mount the throttle to the upper, pedestal to the lower and source an additional arm (30×30 potentially) for your flight stick.

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ATK306: Extension Spring 63.5 SPECIAL ITEM

Extension Spring Length 63.5, Diameter 12.7, Wire diam 1.83, Max Len 93.14, Initial Tension 16.00N, Tension 3.78N/mm

  • Manufacturer: Various
  • Product ID: AP3520 (Flexospring version)

A 63.5mm long 12.7mm diameter extension spring used in the G2 Spitfire flight stick for the pitch spring. Please note that this item is only used in the G2 Spitfire stick. It is not a standard item and should not be used in other AuthentiKit controls. Discuss with Phil if you really want to use it.

Supplier Links

https://www.flexosprings.com/search-products?sku=ap3520

Indicative Pricing With Allowance for P&P

Springs are probably the most difficult and expensive things to source. This is a stock spring available from many different manufacturers (see below on what aspects are critical) and although they are not expensive you’ll probably get hit hard for P&P and minimum order quantities. However, if you buy this spring x2 together with the roll spring from Flexospring you’ll meet the minimum order threshold and just have £6+vat p&p. Allocating that pro-rata makes a price per spring of.

£7.15

Substitutions

Although these are commodity items you may struggle to find an exact duplicate unless you buy from flexospring. If you want to vary any of these dimensions these are the consequences.

  • Length 63.5mm – Slighty longer/shorter is OK +/- 5mm should be safe. 63.5mm is a standard though so select this (or imperial equivalent) first and then look at the other factors
  • Diameter 12.7mm – 12mm is OK but any more than 12.9mm is likely to be a problem.
  • Wire diameter 1.83mm – 1.7mm to 1.9 should work
  • Max length 93.14mm – Longer is fine, shorter is less fine as you’ll overstretch it
  • Tension 3.78Newtons per mm – Any less and the pitch action may feel weak.

Some beta testers in the US used this spring and have been happy with it:

https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/130/1505/5108N59

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ATK305: Extension Spring 50.0 SPECIAL ITEM

Extension Spring Length 50.0, Diameter 12.0, Wire diam 1.5, Max Len 80.5, Initial Tension 9.78N, Tension 2.24N/mm

Manufacturer: Various

  • Product ID: MO6010 (Flexospring version)

A 50.0mm long 12mm diameter extension spring used in the G2 Spitfire flight stick for the roll spring. Please note that this item is only used in the G2 Spitfire stick. It is not a standard item and should not be used in other AuthentiKit controls. Discuss with Phil if you really want to use it.

Supplier Links

https://www.flexosprings.com/search-products?sku=mo6010

Indicative Pricing With Allowance for P&P

Springs are probably the most difficult and expensive things to source. This is a stock spring available from many different manufacturers (see below on what aspects are critical) and although they are not expensive you’ll probably get hit hard for P&P and minimum order quantities. However, if you buy this spring together with the pitch springs from Flexospring you’ll meet the minimum order threshold and just have £6+vat p&p. Allocating that pro-rata makes a price per spring of.

£6.55

Substitutions

Although these are commodity items you may struggle to find an exact duplicate unless you buy from flexospring. If you want to vary any of these dimensions these are the consequences.

  • Length 50mm – Slighty longer/shorter is OK +/- 5mm should be safe. 50mm is a standard though so select this (or imperial equivalent) first and then look at the other factors
  • Diameter 12.0mm – I have used a spring with diameter 12.7mm which was fine though a little heavy on the roll.
  • Wire diameter 1.5mm – You could push to 1.6mm
  • Max length 80.5mm – Longer is fine, shorter is less fine as you’ll overstretch it
  • Tension 2.24Newtons per mm – Any less and the roll action may feel weak. I have used a spring that had 2.76N/mm and it was OK though a little heavy on roll.

The heavier alternative I used was the s65 from Ashfield Springs. https://www.ashfield-springs.com/shop/extension-springs-11-26mm

Some US beta testers used this spring and were happy with it. https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/130/1505/5108N579

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ATK614: Webbing 9mm SPECIAL ITEM

Nylon webbing/Grosgrain Ribbon – 9mm wide

  • Manufacturer: Various
  • Product ID: Various

Used in the Spitfire G2 flight stick as a belt. Please note that this item is only used in the G2 Spitfire stick. It is not a standard item and should not be used in other AuthentiKit controls. Discuss with Phil if you really want to use it.

  • Width – 9mm is critical or a fraction more if non metric. 3/8″ is OK
  • Nylon or polyester for strength
  • Non stretchy
  • Smooth finish without frilly bits. We don’t want abrasion causing pilling
  • And the most important thing which is thickness. Unfortunately it’s very rare to be given a reliable measure of thickness in advance of purchasing. We’re looking for 0.3 to 0.4mm
  • Any colour!

Supplier Links

The Shindo brand produces very good quality 9mm polyester ribbon that I’ve used successfully, however many other options will be suitable. Since doing all the R&D on this the Shindo supplier I used has discontinued the item I tested with. This one looks promising though.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/678528883/9mm-black-and-white-ribbon-horizontal?transaction_id=4459395525

Indicative Pricing With Allowance for P&P

You only need 1 metre of this which is only £1.40 however postage is £3.50 so you’re talking basically £5.

£5.00

Substitutions

See description. I’ll add more options as people do their local sourcing/research.

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ATK1C450 M4 Countersunk Screw x 50mm

M4 Countersunk flat head phillips head machine screw 50mm long

  • Manufacturer: Various
  • Product ID: Various

Use either zinc plated or stainless steel. Get philips head if you can as the PH2 but fits them very nicely, otherwise pozidrive will do.

Supplier Links

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252499988792

Indicative Pricing With Allowance for P&P

You will always buy these in a pack rather than individually. Buying 10 is often virtually an identical price to buying 5. Unfortunately we don’t use these much in AuthentiKit designs and you probably won’t use more than 3 or 4 so a 5 pack is sufficient making the unit price around £0.40

£0.40

Substitutions

Pozidrive is an option if you can’t get phillips head.

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The AuthentiKit Spitfire – Four Years On

As we approach the fourth anniversary of the release of our first Spitfire control I felt it was time to bring all the pieces together to showcase what is now possible using the AuthentiKit range of Spitfire controls. Having reached the capacity limit of our Universal Hub Version One we now have a definitive list of the controls which are officially supported by the single box solution.

  • Flight stick
  • Throttle
  • Elevator trim wheel
  • Rudder bias wheel
  • Flaps lever
  • Chassis/Gear lever
  • Magneto
  • Gunsight (or rudder pedals)

A Triumph of Community Collaboration

It is not only the range of Spitfire controls which has expanded over these four years. The AuthentiKit community who have built and tested these controls now numbers over 3,000, with several notable members who contributed greatly to the design of The AuthentiKit Spitfire. Two very gifted designers Harry Armstrong and Jari Kaskelin stand out for both their innovative approaches and their pursuit of authenticity. Ian Colman and Phil Shepherd contributed to the design of the above controls as well as giving countless hours of their own time to support the community. Ian in particular deserves a special mention for his development of the AuthentiKit Tuning App which allows us to achieve one-to-one synchronisation between physical controls and the real aircraft controls. There are too many others to mention by name who have supported the community by beta testing, creating documentation and helping to support new members with technical issues.

The Universal Hub Version One

For a great many Spitfire fans version one of the Universal Hub provides more than enough functionality for their flight simulation needs but don’t worry if you’re looking for more. We already have prototypes of the fuel selector, fuel cock, start/boost buttons and primer allowing a full mouse-free engine start and these will be released in 2025.

Celebrating The AuthentiKit Community and The AuthentiKit Spitfire

So, as ever much more more is planned for next year and the years to come. For now though, please enjoy our new video showcasing everything that we as a community have achieved with The AuthentiKit Spitfire over the last four years.

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The operators of this website and its pages take the protection of your personal data very seriously. Hence, we handle your personal data as confidential information and in compliance with the statutory data protection regulations and this Data Protection Declaration.

Whenever you use this website, a variety of personal information will be collected. Personal data comprises data that can be used to personally identify you. This Data Protection Declaration explains which data we collect as well as the purposes we use this data for. It also explains how, and for which purpose the information is collected.

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PA-24 Comanche TPM

We mark two very big milestones for AuthentiKit today. Firstly, after almost four years supporting the warbird flight sim community, we have something for fans of GA aircraft in the form of a PA-24 Piper Comanche Throttle/Prop/Mixture (TPM) control. Developed with the kind assistance of A2A Simulations this is a faithful replica of the PA-24 TPM developed using CAD shared by the A2A design team.

The second very big milestone is that, in our mission to make AuthentiKit controls as widely accessible as possible to flight sim fans, we have arranged for our friends at SimKitSupplies to offer an All-Inclusive kit of hardware + 3D printed parts.

Shared Universal Hub

The PA-24 may be a very different beast to a Spitfire or Mustang but to AuthentiKit this new control behaves just like any other H2 throttle input to the AuthentiKit Universal Hub, which means that if you already have the hub you won’t need another. Since the circuit board in the hub is the single most valuable component it just makes sense to re-use it.

Of course it would be a waste if only one of these inputs was used for the PA-24 but in true AuthentiKit style we intend to fill out a core set of at least the following controls which will use the other inputs.

  • Elevator trim
  • Rudder trim
  • Flaps lever (genuine long handle ratchet lever)
  • Landing gear (genuine 3 position)
  • Magneto start key and start button
  • Carb heat

Also in true AuthentiKit style, these will not just be clamped to your desk in the easiest way possible but they will come with a mounting system which will position them (almost) exactly where they would be in the real aircraft.

All Inclusive Controls

Introducing a GA aircraft to the AuthentiKit portfolio is already big news but no less important is the decision to allow our friends at SimKitSupplies to offer an All Inclusive Kit.

Of course we already have the Community Approved Printing (CAP) scheme whereby experienced AuthentiKit community members will print parts at mate’s rates for those without a printer. Please be reassured that this will continue to be a very important part of the community especially because we have CAPs in the USA, UK, Germany, Australia and New Zealand and it’s obviously more practical to have someone print parts for you in your local region.

So, for those who are wondering, our aim is absolutely not to change tack to becoming a product company or to give SKS the rights to commercialise all AuthentiKit products. It isn’t practical and it isn’t in the best interest of the community. The aim instead is to take down a major barrier to those wanting to try AuthentiKit, namely unfamiliarity with 3D printing and 3D printed products. Hopefully this all in one kit which includes a quality guarantee by the supplier SimKitSupplies will give folks the confidence to try AuthentiKit for the first time and go on to become active members of our community.

Here’s a link to the All Inclusive Kit from SimKitSupplies