Enigma touch in a case!

[Jürgen]

The Enigma touch PCB was always designed with the option in mind to install it in a "proper" wooden case: The plugboard can be cut off and reconnected with a ribbon cable, so it can be placed vertically in front of the main board. But in practice I am only aware of two such builds, one of them my own early prototype. Cutting the populated PCB and building a wooden box is certainly not a quick modification.

Hence I am very happy that the enterprising folks at CEDS have found a manufacturer who can build really nice custom wooden cases, and are now offering the "Enigma touch cased" variant! This has been in the making for quite a while, but it now available. Take a look at Oscar's updated description and photos: https://obsolescence.dev/enigma-touch.html 

With the front flap that can be locked by two hooks, and the real leather handle in the back, I think the new enclosure does a really nice job at conveying the "Enigma vibe". If you look closely you will notice that the main PCB is slightly changed for the cased version: It now has the USB-C jack in the front, near the power button -- actually close to where the original Enigma's power connector was. But otherwise the board is identical to the "slate" version and runs the same firmware.

Personally I still enjoy the flat build a lot, which stresses the balance between a simple single-board design and the "Enigma look". But obviously the wooden case says "Oh look, an Enigma!" even more clearly. I'm not saying that you should have both, but I certainly will...  :-)  

Many thanks to Oscar, Otto and José at CEDS for making this happen!

Best regards, 

Jürgen  

[Akinius]

Holy cow that’s awesome. 

When will we be able to place an order?

—

Sent from my Ipad

On Feb 12, 2026, at 00:21, Jürgen <jue...@e-basteln.de> wrote:

The Enigma touch PCB was always designed with the option in mind to install it in a "proper" wooden case: The plugboard can be cut off and reconnected with a ribbon cable, so it can be placed vertically in front of the main board. But in practice I am only aware of two such builds, one of them my own early prototype. Cutting the populated PCB and building a wooden box is certainly not a quick modification.

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[Ronald Wells]

Awesome! I've been really looking forward to this!

<<insert take my money gif>>

[Jürgen]

Many thanks for the enthusiastic replies! 

I understand that CEDS is taking orders and has units ready to ship:
https://obsolescence.dev/enigma-touch-get-one.html
https://obsolescence.dev/order-enigma-touch-direct/enigma-touch-get-one-direct-form.html

Best,
Jürgen

[Ronald Wells]

looks like they're just teasing us!  They're there but not selectable currently.

[Jürgen]

Oops -- sorry about that! I might have jumped the gun a bit then. But trust that it's a matter of days (or hours? ;-) until CEDS can take orders. Oscar and team are following this group and may chime in directly, but I have pinged them too. Hope to have an update later today!

Best,
Jürgen

[j.leon]

Hello from Panamá! We are ready, you can place your order here: https://obsolescence.dev/enigma-touch-get-one.html

Best regards,

Jose

[Scott S. Atkins]

Ordered! Question... does it need to be plugged in in order to work, or is there an internal battery?

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Scott Atkins

Burbank, CA USA

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[José Gregorio León]

Hello Scott,

Thanks for your order!

Yes, the Enigma has the option to add a battery.

Please be aware that next Monday and Tuesday will be holidays here in Panamá. So, we will ship next Wednesday. Thanks in advance for your understanding.

Regards,

José Gregorio León

Chiriqui Electronic Design Studio, S.A.

General Manager

https://www.ceds.dev/

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/enigma-touch/CAKOSWNMBiTKjz4B9B7qcj6x7vZCdctNVARTX2Lt11Xcq%3D_xjEg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Jürgen]

Hi Scott,

As José said, you can add a Li-Ion battery (which CEDS cannot include due to shipping restrictions). It's the same battery type and connector as in the flat version of the Enigma touch, so the batteries suggested here will work nicely: https://e-basteln.de/computing/enigma/enigma-files/#adding-a-battery

Best,
Jürgen

[Bart Wessel]

Nice!

Bart. 

[Akinius]

Okay, I’ll order one of those. 

Do I just plug it in, or is there anything that needs to be done to the unit first?

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On Feb 12, 2026, at 07:14, Jürgen <jue...@e-basteln.de> wrote:

Hi Scott,

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[Jürgen]

You just lift off the top PCB (after removing the four slotted-head screws which hold it in place) and plug in the battery. It can be attached either to the bottom of the PCB or to the side wall of the case using double-sided adhesive tape. The PCB is already prepared for the battery, with a matching connector and with the on-board battery charging chip waiting for something to be charged. :-)

The user manual does not have pictures of the cased unit yet, but things work the same as for the flat version. See chapter 5.1 for the battery installation: https://e-basteln.de/file/enigma/Enigma%20Touch%20Instructions.pdf 

Best,
Jürgen

[Ronald Wells]

ordered mine as well, thanks for all your hard work on this Jurgen!

[John Kennedy]

I have the original Enigma Touch; is it possible to (A) buy a box and (B) install the Enigma inside? I read that maybe the PCB was designed so that could happen?

[Jürgen]

It's possible in principle to prepare your "flat" PCB for installation in a box, but it is not for the faint-of-heart... I had a section on this in the earlier edition of the user manual, but have removed it in the more recent version because the risk of damaging the PCB seemed too high -- especially with all the components already installed:

The dividing line between the plugboard and the main PCB is not pre-scored, since there are traces connecting the two on the bottom side. So you can't simply break off the plugboard, but either need dedicated PCB shears which can clamp the PCB without any slippage. (But clamp it only on one side, since there are components on the mainboard side  quite close to the cut.) Or you need to score the PCB with a knife many (!) times and then bend and break it -- supporting the populated main board to avoid bending stress in that part, but without crushing the components in that area. 

You will also need to unsolder the USB plug from the plugboard, and find a pigtailed USB jack to mount into the case instead. (There are solder pads for this on the main board.) The audio surface transducer will need to be replaced by a case-mounted speaker since the separated PCBs don't offer a suitable mounting area. Finally, solder SMD pin headers to the main board and plugboard and connect them with a ribbon cable; that step is relatively straightforward.

If this does not scare you, I can dig up the old text from the user manual which has a little more detail. CEDS would have to comment on the possibility of making the case available on its own. My gut feel is that shipping costs would be rather high in relation to the box price, so this may not be an attractive option?

Best regards,
Jürgen

[John Kennedy]

The electronics doesn't worry me, but making a mess of separating the PCB into parts and paying a lot for the box does - so many I'll be happy with what I've got :-)

[Akinius]

Okay, my Enigma Touch was delivered today. Haven’t had time to break it out yet and play with it though…

Is https://e-basteln.de/file/enigma/Enigma%20Touch%20Instructions.pdf the latest manual, or is there a newer one somewhere? 

Thanks! 

—

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On Feb 12, 2026, at 07:14, Jürgen <jue...@e-basteln.de> wrote:

Hi Scott,

[Jürgen]

Yes, that's the latest "officially released" manual. It covers firmware 4.12, which is the shipping version for both, the original "picture frame" design and the cased version of the Enigma touch. The functionality of both variants is identical -- but I should really add a few photos of the cased version to the manual! Oh, and point out that in order to install a battery in the cased version, you need to remove the main board/front panel instead of the rear panel. 

There is a newer firmware 4.20 in beta, again suitable for both build variants -- see the dedicated thread about it. The last post in that thread (as of writing this) has an updated manual which describes the added functionality. But we have not released that firmware version yet, because I am still stuck on the "sporadically locks up when returning from screen saver mode" bug. Well, to be honest I have taken a break from that for the last few weeks...

Enjoy your new cased Enigma!

Jürgen

[Crypto Cellar Research]

Hi,

My boxed Enigma Touch has just arrived here, too. It is a real beauty. Very nicely finished box. I am looking forward to play with it during the coming weeks. Many thanks for a great piece of work.

Best wishes,

Frode

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/enigma-touch/6d588e27-2328-46fd-873c-5b346400427fn%40googlegroups.com.

[Ronald Wells]

IT'S AWESOME!  thanks so much for making these available!  Now to figure out how to get a battery into this one lol

[Jürgen]

Many thanks Ronald, glad you like your new toy! :-)

A battery can be installed very similar to how it works in the "flat" build. The same battery type and connector will work, e.g. from the vendors suggested here.

The instructions in section 5.1 of the user manual are essentially valid for the boxed version too. Instead of removing the base plate of the framed version, just remove the four screws which hold the top panel. The connector is in the same place as in the 2D build, placed on the side of the keyboard area. Attach the battery below the keyboard with adhesive tape, and replace the top panel and its screws.

But I really should get some pictures of the cased version into the user manual! 

Regards,
Jürgen