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At the heart of each Fialka machine are 10 different coding wheels (rotors)
that move in an irregular manner
whilst typing a message.
Each wheel has 30 contacts at either side and is marked with a letter of the
Russian alphabet, as follows:
A collection of these 10 unique wheels is called a wheel-set
(or just: set).
Each wheel is wired differently,
and each country of the former Warsaw Pact
had its own wheel-set (wired differently for each country).
In case of war, a common wheel-set (known as 0K would be issued).
There are two different types of wheel: fixed and
adjustable.
The fixed wheels were issued with the initial M-125-xx models,
whilst the adjustable wheels were introduced for the later M-125-3xx
models in 1978. Both wheel types can be used in either machine though.
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Below are the wheels of the earlier Fialka M-125 machines. As these
wheels are not adjustible, they are called the fixed wheels.
Each wheel has 30 disc-shaped contacts on its left side and 30
spring-loaded contacts on the right. With each machine, a unique
set of 10 different discs was supplied, marked with the first 10
letters of the Russian alphabet as described above.
The number is printed on the right side of the disc; in this case
the letter 'A'.
On some wheels, the letter is also presented in an alternative
colour on the letter ring (see the centre image).
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Inside the wheel, the 30 contacts on the left are connected to the
contacts on the right in some scrambled manner. This wiring can not
be changed in the field.
The metal part of the wheel, also has a number of pins around its
perimeter. These pins control the irregular stepping of the Fialka.
Each wheel has a different number of pins at different locations on
the ring.
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In 1978 a new operating procedure for the Fialka was introduced.
At the same time a new set of cipher wheels was issued, called
PROTON-2. These wheels were much more complex than the earlier
ones, and can be adjusted in a number of ways. In their default
setting, the wheels are compatible with the earlier fixed wheels.
The standard wheels inside the machine, have black letters on
the index ring, with one letter in red to identify the wheel.
Inside the dust cover of the machine is a spare set of wheels,
packet inside a metal cylindrical container. The letters on these
spare discs are all red, except for the letter that identifies the
wheel, which is black.
First of all, the letter index ring is now movable, much like
the Ringstellung of the Enigma machine.
Secondly, the wired core can be removed and can be inserted in
30 different orientations, plus 30 more, if the core is flipped
around. Furthermore, the core can be swapped with the core from
another wheel.
If the correct core (i.e. the core with the same letter as the
wheel) is inserted with side 1 up and with the index set at
the letter A, and the index ring
is set at the letter A, the wheel is compatible with the
corresponding fixed wheel.
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Disassembly of an adjustable wheel
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This image below shows how the adjustable wheels (PROTON-2)
can be disassembled. Originally, a special tool was supplied to
open the wheel, but it can easily be done by pressing the center
disc down with both thumbs, and then rotating it.
The inner core, that contains the scrambled wires, can then
be removed.
By flipping the core around, the wiring is effectively mirrored.
This greatly increases the maximum number of settings. To make
it even more complex, the core can be moved to another wheel, that
has its turnover points at different positions.
All this was part of the daily key.
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© Copyright 2009-2011, Paul Reuvers & Marc Simons. Last changed: Tue,27 Dec 2011.17:43:10
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