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Enigma-E Product Description
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The Enigma-E is a do-it-yourself (DIY) building kit that enables you
to build your own electronic variant of the famous Enigma coding machine
that was used by the German Army during WWII. It works just like a
real Enigma cipher machine
and is compatible with the 3-wheel machines used by the German
Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe.
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It is also compatible with the 3-wheel naval M3 Enigma machine
and the 4-wheel M4 machine. The latter was used exclusively by the
U-Boot section of the German Kriegsmarine.
A message encrypted on, say, a real Enigma M4 can be
decrypted on the Enigma-E and vice versa.
The contents of the kit are fully described on this page and we also
show what the end-result might look like. Please note that you need
basic soldering experience to build this kit.
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If you don't have the required skills, or if you are uncertain, please ask
someone to help you, or try some simple kits first.
Especially electronics hobbyists or radio hams will probably be most
willing to help you out.
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Rather than building an Enigma replica, which is a tedious task,
we've designed an electronic alternative, using modern components to replace
the mechanical parts of the original Enigma. The picture below shows both
the Enigma-E and an original Enigma side by side.
The wheels have been replaced by four alphanumerical displays, each capable
of displaying the entire alphabet. Above and below the displays are up and
down buttons allowing the initial settings to be changed.
Just below the displays are 26 LEDs, replacing the 26 lamps of the original
machine. Each LED represents one letter of the alphabet. Below the lamp
section is the keyboard, with 26 push-buttons. Again, each button represents
one letter of the alphabet and the keyboard features the original German
layout (QWERTZ).
Finally, the lower part of the image show the Steckerbrett, that was
used by the German Army to swap pairs of letters, in addition to the coding
wheels. The Steckerbrett-part of the PCB can be separated from the
rest to allow it to be mounted vertically, just like on the real machine.
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The kit contains everything you need to build a working Enigma machine:
a professionally made double-sided through-plated PCB and all electronic
components.
It also contains a 65+ page manual with detailed building instructions
(see below). All you need to supply yourself, is a soldering iron, solder,
a power supply and some soldering experience.
Check the images below to see what is present in the kit. Click any
image to enlarge.
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The kit contains the following items:
- Professional PCB
- 65+ page manual
- All electronic components
- Plugs and sockets
- Push-buttons
- Programmed PIC controller
- Circuit diagram
- Lamp film
- Key-top labels
- Wiring
- Certificate
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Depending your experience, you should be able to complete the kit in a
few hours or a few nights. Once it is completed, the kit can be put to test
by trying one of messages supplied in the manual.
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- Simulation of M3 and M4 Enigma
- Full 26-key keyboard with key-click sound
- Lamp panel with 26 LED lights
- Alpha-numerical displays replacing the wheels
- Advanced setup procedure in software
- Battery and externally powered
- Serial Port connection to PC
- Optional morse code output
- Professional double sided PCB
- All electronic components included
- Only first-class components used
- Extensive easy to read manual
- Step by step building guide
- Requires only basic soldering experience
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The Enigma-E building kit comes complete with a 65+ page manual,
describing the process of building the kit in great detail. It also
contains the full circuit diagram, a circuit description, historical
backgrounds on Enigma and an overview of the various Enigma models.
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The manual contains the following:
- Full building instructions
- Detailed description of the working principle of an Enigma
- How to build a wooden box
- Full Enigma History
- Overview of the various Enigma models
- Full circuit diagram
- Electronic circuit description
- Some original German army messages
(see below)
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As a unique gift, the last chapter of the manual has been written by
Enigma researchers Geoff Sullivan and Frode Weierud. A few years ago,
they aquired a large number of original war-time German Army Enigma
messages, that had never been published before.
Five of these messages are now included in the Enigma-E manual,
complete with their decrypts, Enigma settings and full historical
backgrounds.
Below are a few photographs and PDF-files that should give you an impression
of the quality of the manual. Click any of the images to enlarge.
Please note that you need a PDF-reader, such as
Adobe Acrobat Reader,
in order to view the PDF files.
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As most electronics hobbyists aren't skilled wood workers, we've taken the
hard work off your hands and are now able to offer nearly complete pre-built
Enigma-E cases, made from genuine oak wood.
 More information
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Depending on your skills, you may leave the finished PCB as it is, or
mount it in a suitable enclosure. Various users have already created a wide
array of different cases, ranging from plexi-glass enclosures, to realistic
oak-wooden boxes. Examples can be found here.
The image on the right shows one of the most perfect examples of an oak-wood
case that we've seen so far. It is efectively a scaled-down version of a real
Enigma box. It contains perfect copies of the original hinges, locks,
brackets, etc.
Click the link below for a closer look and see how much sense of detail
the maker has.
Take a closer look at this box
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Since the Enigma-E was introduced in November 2003, we've received
numerous encouraging e-mails from our users.
Here is what some users have written us:
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- Laurence Rudolf, UK
...It worked first time as I had hoped it would. It does everything a genuine
Enigma machine would. It is a fantastic thing and I am very happy with it.
If you want to treat yourself to a good X-Mas present then what could be
better...
More...
- Marco Spoel, Netherlands
Best birthday present in years.
- Bart Wessel, Netherlands
...I enjoyed building it very much. All in all it took about seven hours to
finish, meaning I had a couple of fun nights at the kitchen table!
...Mine has been running happily from the first time I switched it on!
More...
- Brian Murphy, USA
Despite having not picked up a soldering iron in over 10 years,
it was very easy to put together. I managed to complete the whole
thing in about 10-12 hours. I've always wanted my own Enigma machine,
but since the real thing would cost in excess of $10,000, this is
definitely the next best thing. The Enigma-E is without a doubt,
the coolest toy I've gotten my hands on in years.
- Grant Searle, UK
Wonderful kit. All parts present (plus an additional yellow led!).
I built it in a day - I put the sockets and clipped in the switches
in the afternoon while watching television, then spent about 3 hours
soldering in the evening. I left the ICs until last as I perfer to
add any static-sensitive devices at the end. Attached a battery and
it worked perfectly first-time. Highly recommended!
- Roger Wortley, UK
...My Enigma-E worked first time. Thanks for a really great kit. Superbly
put together and documented. There is nothing to improve.
Absolutely brilliant.
- Tim White, UK
...your kit presentation is really excellent and the manual is a lesson
in how to do manuals. As a photographer with a mountain of Japanese manuals,
I think you could teach our Nipponese friends a great deal...
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Since its introduction in November 2003, the Enigma-E has received a
wide press coverage. Several magazines around the globe have been triggered
about the story of the Enigma and wrote articles about the Enigma-E.
Here are some examples:
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- USA, Discover Magazine, May 2004, page 76
Enigma machines are today very expensive and exceptionally rare.
One of the few places where they are on display is Bletchley Park (...)
The result is the Enigma-E, a digital, electronic version of the device
that can be purchased and assembled at home with the aid of a soldering iron.
More...
Discover website
- UK, RadCom, June 2004, page 32
It's a great feeling when a new project works perfectly first time -
as mine did (...)
As a collector of code and cypher systems from 1936 up to the
1970s, this kit was a must have for me and comes highly recommended.
Strangely, perhaps, it does not look out of place beside an original
Enigma.
More...
RadCom website
- UK, Elektor Electronics, July/August 2004, page 9
Enigma-E is yet another demonstration of Paul and Marc's ingenuity
when it comes to translating concepts (this time eletro-mechanical
encryption) into real electronics. This time, quite unexpectedly, the
interest was even greater in the UK than in their home country.
More...
Elektor Electronics website
- Netherlands, Elektuur, September 2004, page 10
Meer dan zestig naar na dato staat de Enigma, de beroemde codeermachine
uit de Tweede Wereldoorlog opnieuw in de belangstelling.
Nota bene twee Nederlanders blazen dit Duitse concept, dat door de
Engelsen werd ontcijferd nieuw leven in.
Elektor website (Dutch)
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- wolfyalex on YouTube
A series of animated photographs, showing the various stages of
building the Enigma-E kit, from the bare PCB to a working unit.
- youtuuba on YouTube
Video demonstration of a working Enigma-E machine by one of the
first Enigma-E users. The film starts with a series of photos of
the wooden enclosure.
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The Enigma-E kit is intended as a fund-raiser for a few selected
meseums. It is there not available directly from this website, but
can only be ordered through these museums. More information on the
ordering page
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© Copyright 2009-2011, Paul Reuvers & Marc Simons. Last changed: Fri,02 Dec 2011.11:04:11
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