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Crypto AG Data BND CIA HC-500 series →
The device is housed is a metal enclosure, and features a full ASCII keyboard,
a single-line Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and a built-in miniature thermal
ticket printer. At the left is an integrated acoustic modem, that is designed
accept the handset of a regular telephone set.
The device delivers the encrypted or decrypted output to the LCD, the printer,
the modem, or to a serial RS232 port provided by the modem. It came in two
colour vaiants: cream for civil use and green for military use, but these are
largely identical. The image shows the military variant.
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The device was intended for diplomatic traffic, and was ideal for people on
the move. It can be placed on a desktop, or carried around in a briefcase,
and can be setup in seconds. The military variant is supplied in a rugged
green case from within it can be operated. It can be powered from the AC
mains, or by the built-in rechargeable NiCd batteries. The device was introduced
in the late 1970s as a direct competitor to the
Gretacoder 805, which has
a similar look-and-feel [1].
The cryptographic algorithm of the HC-530 was developed by the US
National Security Agency (NSA),
and comes in two flavours: readable and unreadable. 1
Unreadable versions were supplied to NATO countries, plus Sweden and
Switzerland. Readable versions were for all other nations.
An improved version of the latter was supplied from 1979 onwards,
after customers had discovered the backdoor.
Needless to say that the improved version was still readable by NSA
and ZfCh
[1].
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In this context, readable means that the cryptographic algorithms
could be broken by NSA
and ZfCh. Also known as friendly or insecure or
exploitable. In contrast:
algorithms that are not breakable by NSA
and ZfCh, are called unfriendly or unreadable
or secure.
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The diagram below gives a quick overview of the external features of the
HC-530 and HC-535. At the front right is a full-size keyboard with high-quality
push-buttons. It is used for entering the plaintext or ciphertext message, and
for entering operator commands and cryptographic keys.
Behind the keyboard is a single-line LCD on which the commands, keys and
text are displayed.
Towards the rear is the built-in thermal strip printer, which delivers a
physical printed copy of the message. Bolted-on at the left, is an acoustic modem
that acts as a cradle for a regular telephone handset. It allows messages
to be sent and received via any regular analogue (PSTN) telephone set.
A rubber strap is provided to keep the handset in place whilst it is present
in the cradle.
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HC-530 Civil version in cream enclosure HC-535 Military version in green enclosure
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The HC-530 and HC-535 were each available in a number of customer-
or country-specific variants, identified with a 3-digit extension to the
model number. This defines which variant of the cryptographic algorithm
is used. The following variants have been observed:
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HC-530-200 Civil version, Argentina HC-535-200 Military version, Argentina
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Compatible machines
Cryptomatic 500
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Similar machines
from other manufacturers
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Note that these machines are not compatible with the
Crypto AG (Hagelin) HC-500 series.
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The HC-550 was developed at a time when
the company – Crypto AG – was jointly
owned by the German Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND)
and the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The two intelligence services had purchased the company in 1970,
with the intention to get control over the cryptographic algorithms
and — indirectly — Crypto AG's customers. This secret project was known as
Operation RUBICON (also: THESAURUS)
and turned out to be extremely effective [2].
The first machine of the 500-series –
HC-570 –
was the successor to the ill-fated H-460,
Crypto AG's the first fully electronic cipher machine,
that had been introduced just before BND
and CIA became the owners of the company.
It used a shift-register-based cryptologic, that had been
designed by the NSA in 1966, in such a way that messages were
readable 1 to them.
When BND
and CIA took over, it was decided that
Crypto AG should sell
high-end cipher machines that could compete with the designs from
other manufacturers,
such as Gretag,
that were not under control.
The HC-570
was not very successful, and was replaced a few years later
by the HC-550, which was based on an expanded
Siemens T-1000 teleprinter.
In the meantime, competitor
Gretag had released several new machines
that worried the intelligence services, as
Gretag was not under their
control. It was then decided to expand the 500-series with a pocket
model – the HC-520 – and a portable model
- the HC-530 – so that customers could be lured away from
Gretag.
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In February 1979, less than two years after the introduction of the
HC-500 series, CAG-employee
Jürg Spörndli,
discovered that it was
possible to break the machine with just 100 characters of known
plaintext, probably after attending a seminar by American mathematician
Martin Hellman.
Although rather theoretical, it proved that the cipher was prone to
a known plain-text attack, or KPTA as it was known in the cryptologic world.
To Crypto AG this was bad news,
as the company couldn't afford another
debacle after the H-460 crisis.
In two years time, the HC-500 series had
become Crypto AG's leading product,
of which more than 1700 had already been sold worldwide.
The original algorithm had been developed by NSA's
Peter Jenks,
and was intended to last for at least 20 years. But Jürg Spörndli had
now exposed a weakness, whch urgently needed to be fixed before customers
would discover it themselves. At NSA,
Dave Frasier designed a
drop-in fix that defeated a known plaintext attack, but was
considerably more difficult to break by NSA
and ZfCh.
A few months later, mid-1979, Peter Jenks
left the NSA and
Dave Frasier committed suicide.
➤ More about Operation RUBICON
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In this context, readable means that the cryptographic algorithms
could be broken by the NSA.
Also known as friendly. In contrast:
algorithms that are not breakable by NSA,
are called unfriendly or unreadable.
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Operation of the HC-530/535 is straightforward, but requires some
basic knowledge of the user interface. For this reason, a
comprehensive manual was supplied with each machine [C].
For the experienced user, a Quick Reference Card
with short-form instructions is also available [A].
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The HC-530 can be operated from the mains or the built-in
battery. The battery is charged automatically when the machine is
connected to the mains, even when the machine is switched OFF.
Charging is indicated by a
red LED at the right.
The machine is switched ON by inserting
the key
into the lock – to the right of the display – and turning it 1/4 clockwise.
After a short delay of approx. 1 second, the machine comes to life.
If it has been off for a long time, the battery might be
exhausted and the machine will require the Variable Parameters (VP)
to be renewed.
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The VP determines the intitial settings of the machine, such as the
default input device, the output device, data speed, output formatting, etc.
Entering the VP is rather simple and requires a series of numbers to
be entered from the keyboard. All possible combinations are listed
on the Quick Reference Card.
The VP can be changed at any time by entering a special command.
The HC-530 has two modes of operation: Command Mode and
Editor Mode. Once the VP has been setup correctly,
the machine enters Command Mode.
Ctrl-R is normally used to cancel Editor Mode and return
to Command Mode. In Command Mode, all commands are combined with
the Ctrl-key (control). In most cases, the command is
activated by pressing the Enter-key (Return).
In some cases the command must be confirmed by pressing the Y-key
(for: Yes).
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When ciphering or deciphering an message, the resulting plaintext or
ciphertext can be sent to different output devices, depending on the
appropriate VP-setting or Ctrl-command. The following output devices
are available:
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- Display
Encrypted or decrypted text is sent to the display. The user can
read it and (optionally) write it down on paper. The display can show only
one line of text.
- Printer
Encrypted or decrypted text is printed on paper using the built-in
thermal printer. Ciphertext can then be passed on for transmission
via another means, such as a courier. Plaintext text can be handed
over to the addressee.
- Coupler
Encrypted data is sent to the acoustic phone coupler and the internal
modem is used to convert data into a series of tones (not available
in decipher mode to avoid plaintext to be revealed through the
telephone line).
- Serial interface
Ciphertext or plaintext can (optionally) be sent through the built-in
serial RS232 port (DB25) that is available at the rear of the
acoustic modem. It is used for connection of an external terminal,
teletype unit, computer or an alternative (non-acoustic) modem.
Data speed and word format are set in the VP.
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Likewise, the following input channels are available:
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- Keyboard
- Coupler
- Serial interface
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The table below lists the various commands of the HC-530 in
Command Mode. Single keys are printed bold and
the return key is shown as CR (carriage return).
A command sequence may have to be followed by and additional
Y (yes) for confirmation (indicated in the red column).
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Sequence
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Y
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Description
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Ctrl I CR
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Input Mode (text input from keyboard or serial interface)
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Ctrl P CR
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Printout (memory text unchanged)
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Ctrl S CR
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Y
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Serial interface output (memory text unchanged)
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Ctrl C CR
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Cipher mode (output device according to VP value)
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Ctrl CD CR
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Cipher output device -> Display
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Ctrl CP CR
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Cipher output device -> Printer
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Ctrl CT CR
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Cipher output device -> Coupler (Telephone)
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Ctrl CS CR
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Cipher output device -> Serial interface
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Ctrl D CR
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Decipher mode (output device according to VP value)
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Ctrl DD CR
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Decipher output device -> Display
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Ctrl DP CR
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Decipher output device -> Printer
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Ctrl DS CR
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Y
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Decipher output device -> Serial interface
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Ctrl DC CR
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Decipher Mode continuation
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Ctrl A
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Advance
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Ctrl B CR
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BASIC Key Mode (selection of the basic key)
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Ctrl V CR
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Y
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VP Mode (entering the Variable Parameters)
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Ctrl R
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Return to Monitor (exit to Command Mode)
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Ctrl X
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Y
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Reset (clear memory)
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Ctrl E CR
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Editor Mode (optional)
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Ctrl T
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Y
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Test (optional) / space bar / P / U / Y /
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Ctrl M CR
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Mark polarity (coupler sends 1850 Hz tone)
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Ctrl N CR
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Station identification (for selective call)
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DEL
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Last character delete (equivalent to Ctrl-K)
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WORD
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Last word delete (equivalent to Ctrl-W)
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#
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VP value
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0
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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1
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Coupler output
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*
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N
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FEC
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2
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Default output device
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*
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D
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P
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S
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3
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Serial input speed
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*
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Ext
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50
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75
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110
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150
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200
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300
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600
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1200
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4
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Serial output speed
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*
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Ext
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50
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75
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110
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150
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200
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300
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600
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1200
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5
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Serial I/O polarity
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*
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I/O
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I/O
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I/O
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I/O
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6
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Serial format
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*
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BD
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A2
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A3
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A4
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A5
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A6
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A7
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A8
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A9
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7
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MK auto-generated
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*
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Y
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N
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8
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BK included in cleartext
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*
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Y
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N
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9
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Ciphertext formatting
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*
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5
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10
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60
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10
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Auto-processing
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*
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MEM Ctrl_S
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MEM Ctrl_DS
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MEM Ctrl_DP
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Ctrl_S
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Ctrl_DS
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Ctrl_DP
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INT Ctrl_S
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INT Ctrl_DS
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INT Ctrl_DP
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11
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Selective call (coupler)
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*
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N
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Y
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ID
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* = Don't care (i.e. no change), can be used when changing already entered VP values.
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- N-Normal, FEC-Forward Error Correction
- Display/Printer/Serial
- Baud rate (bps)
- Baud rate (bps)
- Normal / Inverse
- BD-Baudot, A-ASCII (see below)
- Master Key (MK) to be generated automatically (Yes/No)
- Output Basic Key (BK) Bigram with clear text (Yes/No)
- Ciphertext formatted in 5, 10 or 60 letter groups
- MEM-Received message transferred into text memory (if empty)
INT-Local process interrupted - N=No, Y=Yes, ID=Caller terminal identification added to message
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PTS-530 Thermal paper polls ADA-530 HF link frequency adjustment indicator ATX-530 Teleprinter interface TPR-530 Tape punch/reader station PSB-530 DC charger module TFG-530 Telephone/galvanic switchover interface TEA-530 Diagnostic test unit TED-530 Diagnostic test unit ? Coupler cable for external radio ? Back-to-back connector (2 × DB25/M)
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At the rear of the acoustic coupler, is a 25-way D-type female socket
(DB25/F) for connection to an RS232 serial port or an (optional) test device.
The serial interface is suitable for synchronous and asynchronous
data. The pin-out, when looking into the socket, is as follows:
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0V Ground TX Serial data out (async) V28/V24 RX Serial data in (anync) V28/V24 SBY Serial out busy TTL TRX Telephone data in (TTL) 3 TTX Telephone data out (TTL) 3 GND Signal ground PBY Printer busy (TTL) 3 NMI Interrupt (TTL) 3 TBY Telephone busy (TTL) 3 TCK Telephone clock (TTL) 3 SRD Serial input ready 1 STX Serial data out 1 SRX Serial data in 1 SCO Serial clock out SCI Serial clock in × unused × unused CLD Clock display 3 ICR Input control register 2 0V Battery (test) 3 +5V Test 3 -5V Test 3 VT +V thermal head 3 VM +V motor 3
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Synchronous serial port to TPR-530 tape puncher/reader.
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VP combinations: 1 = A, 0 = B.
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Used by (optional) external test device.
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A galvanic interface to a variety of external periphers is available
as a 15-way D-type female socket (DA15/F), at the centre of the acoustic
coupler, protected by a rubber cap. The pin-out, when looking into the
socket, is as follows:
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+5V Supply voltage 1 PH Phone/Manual switchover 1 GCO Galvanic coupler 'on' 1 DAT Data/Manual switchover 1 CA Call signal from 1 RTT Receive-Transmit-Telephone 1 /GC Galvanic coupler present (0V) 1 0V Ground 1,2 TRR Transmit Radio Audio 2 TRGN Transmit Radio Ground 2 RER Receive Radio Audio 2 REGN Receive Radio Ground 2 GTX TX-ON, relay n.o. 2 TX TX-ON, relay common 2 /RA Radio operating mode (0V) 2
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Specific wiring to/from TFG-530.
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For connection to/from radio.
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© Crypto Museum. Created: Saturday 31 July 2010. Last changed: Friday, 04 February 2022 - 10:21 CET.
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