Toy Converted Into an Enigma Machine

An anonymous reader writes "Enigma machines (the machine Germans used to encrypt messages during World War II) are cool, both from the perspective of the technology behind them and the effort that went into cracking them. This project shows how to convert a toy from a second-hand store into an Enigma machine."

Obligatory AYBABTU

[intellitech]

All your message are belong to us

A new source for Munitions!

[sabt-pestnu]

Every child should have his own implements of war!

Oh, wait... they stopped putting it on the munitions list in what, 1992? Well how about toy rockets, then? Toy Rockets can be very dangerous in the right hands!

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[stealth_finger]

Toy Rockets can be very dangerous in the right hands!

Or awesome!

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

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[FilthCatcher]

Or maybe he's discussing hand-crank-powered devices.

It would have been a lot cooler

[joeflies]

if the hack didn't involve sticking an arduino in it. When you add that part, it's not really a hack anymore, it's just a replacement cover for new internals.

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[zill]

However without the Arduino they wouldn't have enough blog-creds to get on /..

PS: What's a better alternative to "/.."?

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[Anonymous Coward]

PS: What's a better alternative to "/.."?

Parent Directory?

Or perhaps if that isn't what you meant, you could just not be lazy and type "Slashdot.".

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[DarwinSurvivor]

parent directory is ../ (or just ..)

/.. would be the parent directory of ROOT. so direct access to god?

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[tonique]

No, it's SOIL.

(Or SEED, but that doesn't exist any more.)

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[Applekid]

if the hack didn't involve sticking an arduino in it. When you add that part, it's not really a hack anymore, it's just a replacement cover for new internals.

Complete agreement here. It's not so much converting a toy into an Enigma machine, it's using a toy as an interface to an Enigma emulator.

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[drinkypoo]

What would make it cool would be if the device would work normally until you pressed some key combination. Which might be how it is, I only glanced over TFA. And even cooler would be if it used some kind of secure crypto. Solitaire?

How about an enigma machine made out of paper?

[sean_nestor]

Could be fun for educational projects... [mckoss.com]

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[RealGrouchy]

That's cool.

The documentation could be clarified. I.e. Operation should start with:

1a. Before encoding/decoding a letter, shift the right rotor up one space.
1b. If the (up arrow) notch is in the window row (Row A), the next time you move that rotor, also move the rotor to its left.

When you decipher the sample message, "QMJIDO MZWZJFJR," you learn the German word for "Ovaltine".

- RG>

Slightly off topic, but...

[zill]

I sincerely apologize for combining anti-semitism, meme spewing, and off-topic all in one post, but I believe this image [wordpress.com] is relevant.

Oops

[davegravy]

This project shows how to convert a toy from a second-hand store into an Enigma machine.

The only problem with that word is how closely it resembles the word: Enima

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[ELCouz]

You mean... Enema ?

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[davegravy]

Nope

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=enima [urbandictionary.com]

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[gknoy]

... Which would be a misspelling of the proper word for the same thing?

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[The Archon V2.0]

We spend months bickering about reliability of Wikipedia articles and then someone comes along and cites the Urban Dictionary.

Why do we even try?

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[davegravy]

Nope. Enima

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=enima [urbandictionary.com]

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[CheerfulMacFanboy]

This project shows how to convert a toy from a second-hand store into an Enigma machine.

The only problem with that word is how closely it resembles the word: Enima

Don't tell Edward Nigma, or he'll riddle you with bullets. If he can figure out what you mean.

Misses most of the coolness

[nedlohs]

Which is the mechanical aspect. Doing it all in software just doesn't count.

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[keitosama]

No, they were used by the Germans as well as other countries.

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[gknoy]

The first Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I.[1] This model and its variants were used commercially from the early 1920s, and adopted by military and government services of several countries — most notably by Nazi Germany before and during World War II.[2] Several different Enigma models were produced, but the German military models, the Wehrmacht Enigmas, are the ones most commonly discussed.

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enigma_machine [wikipedia.org]

The British captured an Enigma machine from a U-boat, and then cracked the code and used it to read a large amount of previously-secret German communications. Sorry, you basically had it completely backwards. :)

This is crude!

[Virtucon]

It should have been done with Legos!

Thanks a lot

[PPH]

Now when I see my kids playing with their Speak n Spell I'll wonder if they have been recruited into a clandestine neo-Nazi organization.

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[Born2bwire]

"E-u-g-e-n-i-c-s... Eugenics."

"Say it... Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuehrer."

Ein Robert Reich

[tepples]

Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuehrer

Ein Volkswagen, ein Robert Reich, Ayn Rand.

No plugboard or Ringstellung so not really...

[ozratman]

No plugboard or even a Ringstellung (inner ring settings) so not really a wartime enigma. It's only simulating the rotors of a pre war enigma that could be beaten by some bigram tables and/or a crib. Still top marks for a circuit bent crypto project.