Making an Enigma Machine

This summer I aimed to build an Enigma Machine; an encryption machine used by the German military to encrypt and decrypt secret messages during World War II. The machine was made to work mechanically when it was made for the first time in 1918. Our implementation uses an Arduino microcontroller to control the circuitry of the rotors as well as parts of the plugboard. Furthermore, the design has a user interface with a keyboard and a digital display that allows the user to change the settings of the machine. We managed to design and fully build a working four-letter prototype, which means it encrypts and decrypts properly with the plugboard. However, the user interface is not fully complete for the prototype. The process consisted of designing our own mechanical keyboard so that it would look similar to the original. Additionally, we had to come up with a circuit so these mechanical buttons could tell the Arduino what buttons were being pressed, while also thinking about how the lampboard would be implemented. I'm still currently working on the full model design and plan to finish this work in the future.