The Enigma Machine

[Moseman872{White Tiger}]

Can anyone provide a simple explaination of how the Enigma worked? (links help too)

[enigma]

Am way too complicated to explain ....

Oh you mean the ww2 thing ....

I dont think there is a simple explenation other then "it encrpts and decodes things" :p

Check the following, they should explain it all for you :)

wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enigma_machine)
http://www.codesandciphers.org.uk/enigma/
DIY kit (http://www.xat.nl/enigma-e/)
may also wanna check this one out (http://math.arizona.edu/~dsl/enigma.htm)

[ThomasStewart]

The theory is relatively simple, you have a series of cylinders with the alphabet on, place said cylinders into the box in the set series. For example ADCH or something....

Then you add an external cylinder to the end which rotates all said cylinders in a direction. So ADCH and then add the end cylinder denoting B or something. So you as an operator are given a booklet with about 2 months of cylinder cycles e.g. month 1. ADCH Month 2. BCSE. When you transmit you transmit the letter of the end cylinder denoting B, so your opposite number knows that he using month 1. end- cylinder B.

When you type on the keypad, A is now rotered into say H, so when you type - baby - it comes out like: B hfdh
At the other end you receive said gobaldy gook and reverse the cylinders or something - I think, and it reverses the gobeldy gook to: B baby

A friend of mine owns a real one and Im doing this from memory, but this should be how it roughly works. There are computer based engima models with better instructions upon how the original worked.