Anyone up to the Challenge of Building Enigma

In summary, the conversation discusses the availability of digital simulators for the German Enigma machine, as well as the challenges and costs involved in building a working physical model of the device. It is mentioned that copies of the enigma machine have been manufactured and some spare parts are available on eBay. The conversation also includes a reference to a supplier of enigma machine replicas with accompanying pictures.
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  • #2
 
  • #3
I think there are a few digital simulators online; not many people have the space for a hard copy!

[Edited - plenty of room for an Enigma, I was thinking of a Bombe]
 
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  • #4
I'm happy with my Eniac and PDP-10 emulators.
 
  • #5
Did you develop them yourself? Are they available online?

An emulator takes one set of skills but to built a working physical model seems much more costly and challenging. Often you have to completely reverse engineer the device because you don’t even have the blueprints.
 
  • #6
Copies of the enigma machine have been manufactured.
Some spare parts are available on eBay.
Here is a reference to a copy supplier and pictures;
http://enigmamuseum.com/replica/
 

1. What is Enigma and why is it important?

Enigma was a machine used by the Germans during World War II to encrypt their military communications. It played a crucial role in the war and its code was considered unbreakable for a long time.

2. How does Enigma work?

Enigma used a series of rotors and plugboard connections to scramble the letters of a message. The sender and receiver had to set the rotors to the same starting position in order to decrypt the message.

3. Why was it so difficult to break the Enigma code?

The Enigma machine had over 150 trillion possible combinations, making it nearly impossible to break by hand. Additionally, the Germans changed the rotor settings daily, making it even more challenging to decipher their messages.

4. How did Alan Turing and his team manage to break the Enigma code?

Alan Turing and his team at Bletchley Park created a machine called the Bombe that could test different rotor settings and find patterns in the encrypted messages. They also used information from captured Enigma machines and codebooks to aid in their efforts.

5. Can the Enigma code be broken today?

With the advancements in technology, the Enigma code can now be broken relatively quickly by computers. However, it still requires a lot of computing power and specialized algorithms to do so. The Enigma machine is also still used for educational and recreational purposes today.

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