I originally started purchasing WW2 instruments with the intention of altering them for use with my X-Plane simulator. However I have long since abandoned that idea as real Spitfire Instruments attract too big a price premium, and my budget is limited. So I am now using the instruments purely to take measurements and photograph the dial faces for modelling as 3D printed instruments, jump to the Spitfire Printed Instruments page for more information. At some later date I will sell them on to recover some of my costs.
The first instrument that I bought off eBay was a damaged P8 6A/583 Compass. I may still use this instrument if I decide to go further than just the basic panel. Converting this will require me to print a replacement bezel for the damaged part. The simulator modifications are simple enough add a single stepper motor to rotate the indicator needle, no real need for any gearing. So having a design in my head for the engineering required in that solution I moved on to the next one.
The second instrument that I bought off eBay was an unserviceable Mk 1B 6A/1519 Attitude Indicator/Artificial Horizon.Now there are a large number of these on the market – but absolutely no documentation or engineering drawings freely available. So after a lot of fiddling around I eventually worked out a method to dismantle it and then realised it may have been worth documenting that for any one else who fancies taking one to pieces. So I have retrospectively taken some photos and will describe the basics of taking it to pieces on its own page.
The third is a Mk9G 6A/3146 Air Speed Indicator. Theoretically another simple single stepper motor conversion. I have added some photographs and the lessons I learnt from dismantling it.
Number four is the 6A/1609 RPM Gauge from a Wellington Bomber, this is slightly smaller than the Spitfire one (as the Wellington had 2 engines and needed 2 dials) but it is period and looks great. An opportunistic early purchase, it was going cheap and was local so I could pick it up. Theoretically another simple single stepper motor conversion.
The Altitude Indicator is a major technical and initially a big cost problem. I have managed to get a reasonably priced £39.49p period 6A/1319 Altitude Indicator have a look at that page to understand the issues you face in adapting a mechanical barometric instrument for digital use.
I then managed to purchase a really cheap but totally ceased up 6A/602 Direction Indicator for just £10.51p. Being so badly ceased the only way into dismantle this was to be destructive and take a disc cutter to it!
Turn and Slip Indicator. The Spitfire version of this instrument seems to be pretty unique in that it has two analogue meters in one instrument and all post war instruments seem to use the much simpler spirit ball indicator for the turn rate. It is also extremely expensive at around £170 to £225. However I have purchased a 6A/2672 T&S for £35.95p which has identical function, the same generic shape and twin needles, but it is significantly smaller, has a slightly different dial and the more modern straight thick needle shape. I could use this as is or generate the correct dial face for it.
The Brake Gauge 6A/1679 – is not an essential gauge for me, as Xplane does not have any dataref support for it, but it is one that came up cheaply and it looked great so I bough it.
Rate of Climb & Descent Indicator. Plenty of these around but just not at my price point. So I have purchased another bomber variant which physically identical except that it has a maximum scale of 2000 ft/min as opposed to the 4000ft/min of the Spitfire.
I now have a full set instruments for the of Blind/Standard Flying Panel.
In 2019 I joined the Aircorps Library for access to their Supermarine Spitfire Blue Prints and I spent a long weekend trawling through them. Whilst they have the airframe mechanical drawings, and the instrument panel mechanics, unfortunately they do not have any drawings for the instruments.
Also being somewhat confused by the Supermarine drawing numbering system I was lucky enough to be able to reach out to an old work colleague for an explanation. David Noyce was an apprentice draftsman at Supermarine at the end of the war and he had actually worked on the drawings for the later marks of Spitfires. The RAF Museum also have a collection of Supermarine drawings and have an explanation of the Drawing/Assembly Numbers which can be found here.
https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/default/archive-collection/spitfire-assembly-numbers.aspx
However there does appear to be some peculiarity in the AirCorps Library categorisation
300XX Mark I
329XX Mark II
337XX Mark IV
349XX Mark V
350XX Mark VI
351XX Mark VII
355XX Mark V
359XX Mark VIII
356XX Mark XI, XII, XIV
389XX Mark XIX