Russian Fialka

The Russian Fialka (which means "violet" like the color or the flower) was an encryption machine used by the Soviet Union and Russia up until about 1990. Very little is known about them, but a few are making their way out of Eastern Block countries. They are similar to the more famous Enigma machines, but have better security, paper tape output, and a number of other improvements. On the downside, they are heavy (around 50lbs) and the power supply is in another box (which is also heavy).

The Fialka uses 11/16" paper tape rolls, which I just found on an Ebay store (one man's junk...), and should have in a week or two. Now I just need to get some custom power cables to connect the power supply to the Fialka. The plugs are completely foreign to me, but I'm hoping they're a European standard size.

I posted some pictures on my web site (http://www.ilord.com/fialka.html ) and will post more information as I have time.