Assembly instructions
Since the introduction of the Enigma-E in 2003, many users have
asked us whether it would be possible to add a suitable enclosure to the kit.
Over the years, we developed the idea to create a metal enclosure — similar
to the metal case of a real Enigma
— that can be assembled by anyone with simple tools.
From August 2023 onwards, all Enigma-E kits come with this metal enclosure.
The enclosure makes the Enigma-E much more realistic. It comes as a series
of laser-cut steel panels that you must separate, clean and bend yourself,
using the instructions below as a guide. The separate panels will be held
together by means of special plastic push-in rivets
that are supplied with the kit. Also supplied is a
suitable bending tool.
Once the metal enclosure is complete, the creation of a suitable
wooden case will be much simpler.
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To build the metal enclosure, some of the steel panels must be separated
and bended into shape. Note that this can only be done once, so
please read the instructions carefully to ensure that you are not bending
part of the panels in the wrong direction.
Bending it back may break the part.
In the instruction below, the photographs may be clicked to enlarge.
Additional photographs can be revealed by clicking any text that is
printed in blue. Read the following instructions carefully.
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You own tools
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For the assembly of the metal enclosure, you need the following
tools. These are not supplied with the kit:
- Smooth flat file
- Side-cutting pliers
- Straight flat pliers
- Phillips screwdriver number 0
- Sharp knife
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Use a file
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We strongly discourage the use of a Dremel tool to clean the
individual panels and remove the sharp edges, as the high speed of
the Dremel is likely to cause sparks and splinters, which are potentially
dangerous to your eyes. Instead use a smooth flat file to remove
the cutting remains.
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Plastic push-in rivets are provided for mounting the metal parts
and the PCBs together. A push-in rivet consists of two parts:
the actual rivet and a push-in pin with a black head. When you are
instructed to mount two parts together, ensure that the holes of
the two parts are lined up.
Then insert the rivet in such a way that it protrudes both holes,
as shown in the image on the right. Once this is done,
press the head of the push-in pin firmly
until it clicks. The result looks like
this.
A push-in rivet can be removed, by pusing the centre pin out from
the other end.
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PAINTING THE CASE —
You may be tempted to think ahead and spray the panel with a black
paint, just like the original Enigma. We strongly discourage this
however. At this stage it is more important to bend and finish
the parts in the correct manner, to ensure that they fit together
properly. Once everything is checked and cleaned, it is easy to take
the enclosure apart again and spray the panels.
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1. Unpacking and identifying the parts
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1.1 Find the parts
All parts for the metal enclosure are supplied in a separate plastic bag,
except for the lamp film which can be found inside the manual.
The image on the
right shows the plastic bag with the parts and the lamp film.
Click the photograph to enlarge.
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1.2 Unpack the parts
Unpack the items from the plastic bag. You should now have:
- 5 steel panels
- Display filter (brown)
- Lamp panel diffusor (green)
- Lamp film (A-Z)
- Plastic bag with small parts (see below)
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1.3 Check the contents of the plastic bag
The plastic bag should contain the following:
- 20 Push-in rivets
- 2 Tapered push-in knobs
- Slide switch
- 2 screws for mounting the slide switch
The push-in rivets will be used later for fitting the metal
parts and the PCBs together.
For now, store these items in a safe place.
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1.4 Identify the steel panels
Five laser-cut steel panels are supplied as part of the kit, as
shown in the image on the right. At the top is the rear panel,
to which some parts for the power switch assembly are attached.
Also attached to this panel is a bending tool.
At the centre is the top lid of the machine.
At either side of the lid are the left and right sides respectively.
At the front are the 'fake' rotors plus a long lever (at the centre)
that will later be used for operating the power switch.
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2.1 Separate the parts from the rear panel
Use the cutting pliers to separate the three additional parts
shown in the image on the right from the rear panel.
Cut the thin metal stubs
(that hold the parts together)
as close to the part as possible.
The rear panel holds the following additional parts:
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2.2 Separate the fake rotors
Next, separate the fake rotor panel in the same manner.
It consists of the following parts:
The fake rotors will later be mounted to the main lid.
The long lever will later be used as part of the power switch
assembly.
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2.4 Clean the rear panel
In a similar vain, file off the sharp cutting remains from
the rear panel, as shown in the image on the right.
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3.1 Mark the panels
Mark the inside of each panel so that you later know which side
will not be visible. All mounting flaps will later be bent inwards.
Hold the right side panel as shown in the image
on the right, and mark the inside, for example with the letter 'R'.
Repeat this with the left side panel
(mark it with the letter 'L') and with the
rear panel (mark it with the word 'back').
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3.2 Mark the lid
Hold the lid (lamp panel) as shown in the image on the right,
and mark it with a text (e.g. 'Lid under'). This is the underside
of the lid (i.e. the part that is not normally visible.
Note that in this position, the
holes for the fake rotors
are to the left of the display windows.
When the lid is in the normal position, the rotors will be to the
right of the display windows, just like on a
real Enigma.
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4. Prepare the right side panel
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4.1 Bend the mounting flaps inwards
For the next steps you need the bending tool
that you've previously separated from the rear panel.
Hold the right panel with the marking (the letter 'R') towards you,
as shown in the image.
The panel has six pre-cut mounting flaps, each with a mounting hole.
Ignore the large bottom edge for now. We will deal with this later.
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Insert the hook of the bending tool in one of these holes as
shown in the image on the right.
Ensure the 90° edge of the bending tool aligns with the pre-cut seam.
Now bend the flap inwards as shown here, until the bending tool aligns
with the panel.
Repeat this procedure for the other 5 flaps.
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4.2 Bend the blind flap down
Note that the rearmost mounting flap of this panel (i.e. the flap that
is closest to the rear of the machine) has an extra 'blind' flap.
Use a pair of straight pliers to bend this flap down by 90° as shown
in the image on the right. This flap will later be used to hook into
the rear panel.
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4.3 Bend the bottom edge
Align the large flap at the bottom
of the right panel with a piece of wood (or your work bench)
as shown here.
Now bend the large flap inwards, until it is at a 90° angle from
the side panel, as shown in the image on the right.
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4.4 Check the right side panel
The right side panel should now look like the one in the
image on the right. Ensure that all flaps are bended in the
correct direction (i.e. inwards).
You may now continue with the left panel.
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5. Prepare the left side panel
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Repeat the above procedure for the left side panel.
Ensure that all flaps and folded inwards (i.e. towards the
side with the text marking).
The left and right side panels should now look as shown in the
image on the right.
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6. Prepare the rear panel
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You are now ready to prepare the rear panel. Hold the panel with
the text marking towards you and bend the three flaps with the mounting
holes (one at the centre and two at the bottom corners) inwards by 90°.
Next, use the straight pliers to bend the two 'blind' flaps inwards
by 90° as shown in the image on
the right. Finally, bend the large flap at the bottom inwards by 90°,
in the same way as the side panels.
The rear panel should now look like the one shown in the image on the
right.
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7. Join the right and rear panels
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Now join the right panel with the rear panel by hooking it in
as shown here. If it does not immediately
fit, you may have to align the mounting flaps with your pliers.
Fixate the two panels by
inserting a push-in rivet in the
lower mounting hole (insert it from the bottom side).
Push the plastic rivet all the way in
to fixate it.
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8. Add the left side panel
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Now add the left side panel by hooking it into the rear
panel in the same way as the right panel, and fixate it by
inserting a push-in rivet in the bottom mounting hole.
Do not yet put a push-in rivet in the upper mounting holes,
as we still need to install the main PCB.
The complete frame should now look like the one shown in the image
on the right.
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NOTE — If you have decided to paint the enclosure, it might
be a good idea to do this now. In the following steps,
additional parts will be added to the lid.
9.2 Mount the fake rotors
Insert one of the fake rotors into the cut-outs at the upper side
of the lid, as shown here.
Ensure that the fake rotor is fully inserted and aligned with
the top surface of the lid.
Now turn the lid over and fixate the fake rotor by bending the
two short stubs towards the centre using pliers, as shown in the
image on the right.
Repeat this for the other three fake rotors.
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9.5 Mount the lamp film
Use a sharp knife to open the two mounting holes at the short edges
of the diffusor as shown here.
Place the lamp film at the underside of the lamp panel and
fixate it from the top by means of two plug-in rivets.
The lid should now look like the one shown in the image on the right.
Don't worry about a small misalignment of the letters, as this was
also the case on a real Enigma due to shrinking
of the celluloid lamp film.
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9.6 Fit the lid lifting knobs
Fit the two tapered push-in knobs at the front corners of the lid
as shown in the image on the right. These knobs can be used to
raise the lid in order to access the machine's internal settings.
The lid should now look like the one
shown here.
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10. Mount the assembled PCBs
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Fit the main PCB horizontally at the top of the frame as shown
in the image on the right. Fixate it with two plush-in rivets
at the center (the remaining 4 push-in rivets will be added later).
In the same way, fit the plugboard at the front and fixate it with
4 plug-in rivets.
Note: For simplicity, we have shown the bare PCBs in the image
on the right. In reality you must assemble and test the PCBs first.
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Mount the lid on top of the frame by
snapping the small stubs at the rear into the guide holes
of the left and right side panels. The stubs and the holes will act as a hinge.
When doing this, it is necessary to pull the side panels outwards
a little bit. Once the lid is in place, push the sides firmly together again
and fixate the main PCB by inserting the remaining 4 plug-in rivets at the corners.
The case should now look like the one shown in the image on the right.
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12. Mount the power switch assembly
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12.1 Mark the power switch bracket
With the machine more or less finished, it is time to add the
power switch. This switch will be mounted under the main PCB,
at the heart of the machine, and will be operated with a long lever.
First locate the power switch mounting bracket
and mark it as shown in the image on the right. Note that this part is
not symmetric. It has a cut-out at the bottom left.
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12.3 Bend the rectangular flaps
At the bottom of the mounting bracket are two rectangular flaps: one
with a rectangular hole and one with a cut-out. Use your pliers to
bend these two flaps inwards (towards the text) by 90°, as shown in the
image on the right.
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12.4 Check the mounting bracket
If all went well, the power switch mounting bracket should now look
like the one shown in the image on the right.
Ensure that the bended flaps are at 90° angles. If this is not the
case, use your pliers to make (small) corrections.
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12.5 Locate the other parts
The following parts are now needed to complete the power switch assembly:
- Operating lever
- Guide plate
- Slide switch
- 2 screws (M2)
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12.6 Position the mounting bracket
Turn the Enigma-E over so that you look at the bottom side of the
main PCB. Position the mounting bracket as shown in the image. The
two mounting holes of the bracket should be roughly aligned with
the mounting holes in the main PCB. Do not fixate the
bracket with the push-in rivets. We will do that later.
Now insert the long operating lever through the centre mounting hole
in the plugboard, into the mounting bracket. Ensure that the tip at the
end of the lever is pointing to the right as shown.
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12.7 Install the guide plate
Insert the guide plate into the mounting bracket in such a way that
it aligns with the cut-out of the operating lever.
Alternatively, align the operating lever and the guide plate
as shown here
before inserting it into the bracket.
The switch assembly should now look like
this.
In the next step, the hole in the guide plate will be mated with the
black knob of the slide switch.
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12.8 Mount the slide switch
Locate the slide switch and insert it into the mounting bracket from
the rear, as shown in the image on the right. Ensure that the black knob
of the slide switch mates with the rectangular hole in the guide.
You may have to tilt the mounting bracket somewhat to see what you
are doing.
Fixate the slide switch with the two M2 screws,
using the nr. 0 Phillips screwdriver.
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12.9 Fixate the assembly
Fixate the power switch assembly by inserting two push-in rivets
from the top of the main PCB though the mounting holes, into the
mounting holes of the power switch bracket.
The resulting switch assembly should now look like the one shown
in the image on the right,
Try operating the switch by
pulling/pushing the lever at the
front of the plugboard.
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12.10 Connect the switch
As a final step, solder two wires to the two frontmost contacts
of the slide switch, as shown in the image on the right.
The other end of the two wires should be soldered to contacts
(B) and (C) at the rear edge of the main PCB. The Enigma-E
is now ready for battery operation.
Note: If you want to make the switch suitable for operation from
battery and mains adapter, as shown in the circuit diagram,
the three contacts of the slide switch should be wired to
main PCB contacts (B), (C) and (N) respectively.
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The metal Enigma-E enclosure is now complete and should look
like the one shown in the image on the right.
There are many ways in which you can improve the case, for example
by painting it black, just like the
original Enigma.
You might even want to finish it with black wrinkle paint,
which is available from a number of paint outlets on the internet.
Black wrinkle paint is also used for painting the engine parts
of a Harley-Davidson motorbike.
➤ Back to the Enigma-E page
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