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Enigma
Flattened filament light bulbs
An Enigma machine has small - rather unusual - lamps on its lamp panel.
These lamps have a common E10 fitting, but the glass balloon is somewhat
flattened. The diagram below shows it in comparison with
an regular spherical bulb. The one on the left is a standard E10 lamp
with a spherical (round) balloon. On the right are the flattened lamps that
are required for the Enigma. There are two production variants: one that
is completely clear, and one that is half-opaque.
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Lamps like these were rather common before and during WWII, but
are no longer manufactured.
The shape is very important
as ordinary lamps are slightly higher and will therefore damage
the letter film. As the letter film is made of celluloid, it becomes
brittle, and breaks and burns easily.
The official specification for the bulb is 3.5V/200mA,
but that is not as important as the shape. Lamps in this shape are
sometimes found in 2V, 2.2V and 3V versions and they can all be used.
The current should not exceed 200mA,
as otherwise it could cause sparks between the wheels.
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In order to keep the few surviving machines running we need as
much lamps as we can find for current and future restoration jobs.
If you have any of these lamps left, please contact us.
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Good quality reproduction lightbulbs are now available from various sources.
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© Crypto Museum. Created: Thursday 27 August 2009. Last changed: Friday, 16 September 2022 - 08:05 CET.
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