HX-63

A diagram of a loopback-rotor construction; in this simplified example, two rotors with nine contacts each are used. There are six inputs and outputs, leaving three loop-back wires.

The HX-63 was an advanced rotor machine designed by Crypto AG, who started the design in 1952. The machine had nine rotors, each with 41 contacts. There were 26 keyboard inputs and outputs, leaving 15 wires to "loop back" through the rotors via a different path. Moreover, each rotor wire could be selected from one of two paths. The movement of the rotors was irregular and controlled by switches. There were two plugboards with the machine; one to scramble the input, and one for the loop-back wires. The machine could be set up in around 10⁶⁰⁰ different configurations.

Only twelve of these machines were manufactured, and it was used by only one department of the French Government.

External links

Jerry Proc's pages — photographs and a brief description
Notice of a past eBay auction of an HX-63
John Savard's discussion on the machine

References

Cipher A. Deavours and Louis Kruh, "Machine Cryptography and Modern Cryptanalysis", Artech House, 1985, p199.

Cipher machines

Rotor machines:	CCM Enigma M – 125 Fialka Hebern HX-63 KL-7 Lacida M-325 Mercury NEMA OMI Portex RED SIGABA SIGCUM Singlet Typex

Mechanical:	Bazeries cylinder C-36 C-52 CD-57 Cipher disk HC-9 Kryha Jefferson disk M-94 M-209 Reihenschieber Scytale

Teleprinter:	5-UCO BID 770 DUDEK KW-26 KW-37 Lorenz SZ 40/42 Siemens and Halske T52

Secure voice:	BID 150 FASCINATOR KY-3 KY-57 KY-58 KY-68 OMNI SCIP Sectéra Secure Module SIGSALY STE STU-II STU-III VINSON

Miscellaneous:	JADE KG-84 KL-43 Noreen PURPLE Pinwheel Rockex

Cryptography

History of cryptography Cryptanalysis Cryptography portal Outline of cryptography

Symmetric-key algorithm Block cipher Stream cipher Public-key cryptography Cryptographic hash function Message authentication code Random numbers Steganography

HX-63

See also

External links

References