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-
- 8.0 LOCK PICKING
-
- 8.01 TECHNIQUES FOR PICKING LOCKS
-
- If it becomes necessary to pick a lock to enter a lab, the world's
- most effective lockpick is dynamite, followed by a sledgehammer. There are
- unfortunately, problems with noise and excess structural damage with these
- methods. The next best thing, however, is a set of army issue lockpicks.
- These, unfortunately, are difficult to acquire. If the door to a lab is locked,
- but the deadbolt is not engaged, then there are other possibilities. The rule
- here is: if one can see the latch, one can open the door. There are several
- devices which facilitate freeing the latch from its hole in the wall. Dental
- tools, stiff wire ( 20 gauge ), specially bent aluminum from cans, thin pocket-
- knives, and credit cards are the tools of the trade. The way that all these
- tools and devices are uses is similar: pull, push, or otherwise move the latch
- out of its hole in the wall, and pull the door open. This is done by sliding
- whatever tool that you are using behind the latch, and pulling the latch out
- from the wall. To make an aluminum-can lockpick, terrorists can use an aluminum
- can and carefully cut off the can top and bottom. Cut off the cans' ragged
- ends. Then, cut the open-ended cylinder so that it can be flattened out into a
- single long rectangle. This should then be cut into inch wide strips. Fold the
- strips in 1/4 inch increments (1). One will have a long quadruple-thick 1/4
- inch wide strip of aluminum. This should be folded into an L-shape, a J-shape,
- or a U-shape. This is done by folding. The pieces would look like this:
-
- (1)
- _________________________________________________________ v
- 1/4 |_______________________________________________________| |
- 1/4 |_______________________________________________________| | 1 inch
- 1/4 |_______________________________________________________| |
- 1/4 |_______________________________________________________| |
- ^
- Fold along lines to make a single quadruple-thick piece of
- aluminum. This should then be folded to produce an L,J,or U shaped
- device that looks like this:
- __________________________________________
- / ________________________________________|
- | |
- | | L-shaped
- | |
- | |
- |_|
-
- _____________________________
- / ___________________________|
- | |
- | | J-shaped
- | |
- | |________
- \________|
-
- _____________________
- / ___________________|
- | |
- | |
- | | U-shaped
- | |
- | |____________________
- \____________________|
-
- All of these devices should be used to hook the latch of a door and
- pull the latch out of its hole. The folds in the lockpicks will be between
- the door and the wall, and so the device will not unfold, if it is made
- properly.
-
- 8.02 MORE TECHNIQUES
-
- Author: ^^^NIGHTWING^^^
-
- So you want to be a criminal. Well, if you are wanting to be like James
- Bond and open a lock in fifteen seconds, go to hollywood because that's the only
- place your gonna do it. Even experienced locksmiths can spend 5 to 10 minutes
- on a lock if they're unlucky. If you are looking for extremely quick access,
- look elsewhere. (or for a shotgun - Eds)
-
- The following instructions will pertain mostly to the "Lock-in-Knob"
- type lock, since it is the easiest to pick. If there is sufficient demand, I
- will later write a file discussing the other forms of entrance, including
- dead-bolt.
-
- First of all, you need a pick set. If you know a locksmith, get him to
- make you a set. This will be the best possible set for you to use. If you find
- a locksmith willing to supply a set, don't give up hope. It is possible to make
- your own, If you have access to a grinder (you can use a file, but it takes
- forever.)
-
- The thing you need is an allen wrench set (very small). These should be
- small enough to fit into the keyhole slot. Now, bend the long end of the allen
- wrench at a slight angle..(not 90 deg.) it should look something like this:
-
-
- 8.021: The lockpick
-
- \\
- \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ (This is the handle
- \\\ that was already here)
- \\\
- \\\
- \\\
- \\\
-
-
- Now, take your pick to a grinder or a file and smooth the end (#1) until
- it's rounded so it won't hang inside the lock. Test your tool out on doorknobs
- at your house to see if it will slide in and out smoothly. now, this is where
- the screwdriver comes in. Is it small enough for it and your pick to be used
- in the same lock at the same time, one above the other ?
-
- Lets hope so, because that's the only way you're going to open it.
-
- 8.022: The interior of the tumbler (greatly simplified)
-
- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX| K
- # # # # # # | E
- # # # # | Y
- * * | H
- * * * * * * | O
- | L
- | E
- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|
-
- #= Upper tumbler pin
- *= Lower tumbler pin
- X= Cylindrical wall
-
- The object is to press the pin up so that the space between the upper
- pin and the lower pin is level with the cylinder Wall. Now, if you push a pin
- up, its tendancy is to fall back down, right ?
-
- That is where the screwdriver comes in.
-
- Insert the screwdriver into the slot and turn. This tension will keep
- the "solved" pins from falling back down. Now, work from the back of the lock
- to the front, and when you're through...
-
- There will be a click, the screwdriver will turn freely, and the door
- will open. Don't get discouraged on your first try! It will probably take you
- about 20-30 minutes your first time. After that you will quickly improve with
- practice.
-
- This is by no means the most efficient way of entering a house.
- A shotgun followed by a swift kick is still preferred.
-
-
-
- 8.03 The Construction and Use of Various Lockpicks
-
- Author: The LockSmith
- From: P/HUN Magazine Vol.1 #3 (Phile #11 of 11)
-
- [Eds - We could not find an intact copy of this article anywhere, the
- first few paragraphs are missing detailing how to get the HPC book ]
-
-
- You can call, or write, or if you can find a local locksmith supply
- house, they may have copies available. Note that the drawings, although
- detailed, are smaller than the actual tools, but the size tends to be obvious.
-
- Note:
- The correct size of a HPC pick handle is about 3 and 1/8 inches long.
- If you have the the HPC drawings enlarged at a copy shop to just under 3x then
- they will be of a usable size (If they can't do odd size enlargements, 3x
- should be close enough).
-
-
- Materials:
-
- Many materials are suitable for making picking tools/tension tools:
-
- 1. Gutter broom bristles (those *BIG* trucks with the rotary brushes that
- wash and sweep the street at the same time). Look for the bristles
- after the truck leaves. Generally at least a few break off. It is
- preferable to look near a irregular spot of the road, as this tends
- to induce bristle breakage.
-
- Also, depending on your area, you may find that smaller trucks are
- used along with the larger ones. These generally use thinner bristles,
- which make better picks, but many times, the thicker type makes better
- tension wrenches.
-
- Note: A package of strips/round strips of spring steel can be obtained from
- a locksmith supply house, but you will pay at least $18.00 for this!
-
- If you *really* to buy the tools, there 3 ways to go...
-
- 1. Try to order them through the mail, although the feds have been trying
- to pass a bill prohibiting mailing picks, and door opening tools,
- unless you can prove you are a bona-fide locksmith (not as hard as you
- might think), this bill HAS NOT passed as of yet. Also, the last time
- I checked an issue of 'High Times', there was a small advertisment in
- the back, and they had a pick set (for about twice the price as the
- item's standard retail price).
-
- 2. Try to work for a store that has a locksmiths license (*NOT* a
- keymakers license).
-
- Sooner or later they will ask you to pick up supplies, if the supplier
- has what you need, then you can add the items to the order.
-
- 3. Try and make friends with a locksmith, and get him to get you the tools.
-
-
- Tools required:
-
- If you are trying to make your own picks these tools are a good start:
-
- 1. A set of warding files (these are often available in the tool
- department of large discount stores. For example, for people in NYC,
- a chain of stores called Webers tends to have these at a good price.
- While you can buy a set from a locksmith supply house, you will pay
- at least $20.00-$30.00 for a small set. The discount store ones are
- generally $3.00-$5.00 a set. While the quality is a bit lower, at
- least from my experience they do the job ok.
-
- 2. A small propane or butane torch(if butane, one that can be refilled
- with a can of cigarette lighter butane will be a lot cheaper to
- operate.
-
- Note: A gas (but NOT electric) kitchen stove burner will often do in a pinch.
-
- How to make tools:
-
- First, let's assume that you are starting with gutter broom bristles,
- as they are generally easy to get, and cost nothing.
-
- First, let's start with a tension wrench.
-
- Take a piece about 4-5 inches long, and make a sharp bend 1/4-1/2 inch
- from the end (but DON'T make the bend so sharp that the strip cracks (if you
- want to make a sharp bend, heat the strip at the point that you want to bend
- to red heat and let it *air cool*. Do not cool in fluid, as this will make the
- metal harder!
-
- After, if you want to reharden it, reheat, and plunge it into either
- oil or water (oil is better). If this results in the metal getting too hard,
- then try cooling it a little slower. A book on metal working may be useful.
- Also, if you want to make a complicated bend (a half twist, for example), then
- heating the strip at the bend point will allow easy bending (this is one of
- those times where a kitchen gas stove probably will not quite make it).
-
- Picks:
-
- You need pictures or drawings (preferably full size).
-
- Once you have these, select a piece of metal, soften about 2-3 inches
- using a torch or gas burner, then get out your warding files and get to it!
-
- Note:
- While in theory, you probably could file the strips without softening
- them first, the metal is hardened, and resists being filed (this is also rough
- on the files). What may help, whether you soften or not, is that a metal
- nibbling tool can used for the rough shaping, and in some cases, can be used
- to do most of the work. However you do it, it may be advisable to file the two
- flat sides of the tool (just a bit).
-
-
- Use of tools:
-
- The use of lockpicking tools is as much an art as it is a skill, but
- most people with enough practice can learn to do a decent job.
-
- A good book on the subject comes from HPC (again) (Basic Picking and
- Raking. This runs around $15.00), this is a bit overpriced, but a good guide.
- But, let's go on...
-
-
- Hand picks:
-
- There are 4 different types of picks:
-
- The rake
- The hook (this has other names as well)
- The diamond
- The ball/double ball (2 balls stacked)
-
- The Rake:
-
- The rake is prehaps the easiest tool to use, but it does not teach you
- much about the lock you are working on; if this does not matter to you, then
- don't worry about it. Hold the cylinder or padlock in a upright position (the
- way it normally be mounted). The pins should be on the top. Hold the pick with
- the more prominent wiggly side up (the hollow side down). Tilt the back of the
- handle downward a bit; the wiggly part should be horizontal. Now put it down
- for a minute, and pick up a tension wrench (L shaped piece), and insert the
- shorter bent end into the bottom of the keyway.
-
- Now..
-
- Rotate the wrench in the direction that the lock normally rotates to
- open, if not sure, pick a direction. Then, hold the pick so that the handle is
- angled towards you slightly; at this angle the curved part should be horizontal.
- Insert the pick into the lock all of the way into the keyway, and making sure
- that contact is attained with the pins. Draw it out, repeat until lock is open.
- But, don't push the pins up by forcing the pick upward with great force. Not
- only will this not open the lock, but you will bend the pick as well.
-
- If it does not open:
-
- First, release the tension (you should hear the pins drop).
-
- 1. Try less (or more) tension on the tension wrench
- (Note: most problems are caused by too much tension).
-
- 2. Try holding the pick at a slightly different angle and/or height.
- 3. Try picking the lock in the other direction.
-
-
- The Hook:
-
- The hook is used to lift individual pins in a cylinder. The tension
- wrench is inserted and rotated the same way as above. After putting tension
- on the wrench, insert the hook into the keyway with the hook upward. Then,
- starting from the rearmost pins, lift each pin. To do this: Lift the pin until
- you feel a bump, or a "click", or a change in the spring action of the pin
- then STOP and go to the next pin. Continue this until the lock opens. If it
- does not open release the tension then:
-
- 1. Try with more or less tension
- (Note: usually the problem is too much, so try lowering it first).
-
- 2. Try starting from the front pins, instead of the back ones.
- 3. Try picking the lock in the other direction.
-
-
- The Diamond:
-
- This tool is used the same way as the rake, as it is a modified rake
- design, although it does not look the same.
-
-
- The Ball or Double Ball:
-
- These tools are mainly used for picking wafer tumbler locks. They are
- used the same way as the rake, except these locks open *so* easily, that you
- probably won't have to worry about the lock not opening.
-
- Note: These locks can often be open in a pinch by using a bent paper clip
- (rake the wafers and rotate the clip at the same time).
-
-
- Pick guns:
-
- The most difficult part about using a pick gun is not using it, but
- getting the damm thing in the first place. They are available from most of the
- same places that hand picks are sold, but unlike hand picks, are not readily
- made at home. If you manage to get one. (The best one, at least in my opinion,
- is the LOCKAID. This pick is made by a company called Majestic. It is made
- very well, has an ajustable strike force dial, and has a LIFETIME warranty!)
-
- Well, let's assume you have one of these tools:
-
- Well the first thing is to get a lock (a small padlock is a good
- practice item) then,
-
- 1. Insert the tension wrench at the bottom of the keyway, and rotate it
- in the direction that the lock opens.
-
- 2. Starting with the pick gun's tension dial set either to 0 or 1
-
- (0=the point that the dial will go no lower)
- (1=1 full turn in the opposite direction),
-
- take the pick gun and insert it's needle into the keyway, but try not
- to insert it beyond the pins, as the needle may bind. Holding the tool
- horizontal, squeeze the trigger. Do this 6-8 times, if no results then
- release the tension (on the cylinder), raise the pick gun's tension
- dial 1 full turn, and try to open the lock again. Keep trying until
- you get it open.
-
-
- Tubular lock picks:
-
- The best guide to using a tubular lock pick, is the instructions that
- come with it. However, as these may not be available, these general notes will
- get you started. Also HPC has a tutorial on using tubular lock picks (Basic
- Picking and Servicing Tubular Locks - a bit costly, but if it is as good as
- other HPC tutorials I've seen, it may be worth it).
-
- 1. Take the pick and slide the feelers (the moveable tines) back and
- forth a few times. Slide all of them (usually 7) out past the end of
- the tool a bit (maybe 1/8th of a inch or so). Then press the tool
- against a hard surface until all of the feelers are flush with the end
- of the tool.
-
- 2. Insert the tool into the front of the lock and gently push it all of
- the way into the lock. Then rotate the tool in the direction required
- for opening, but use a minimum of force, as excessive force will cause
- 2 difficulties:
-
- a. The front of the pick may be damaged.
- b. The lock may not be able to be open at all, or if it can it may be
- damaged. After rotating the pick, slowly pump it in and out of the
- lock but note that the pick should only be backed out about 1/8 inch
- or so. Keep doing this; eventually the lock should open.
- If not, start again from the start.
-
-
- 8.04 Cheapo Zig-Zag Lock Pick
-
- Author: Warp 9
-
- Problem:
- You're out trashing and looking around, and you come across one of
- those cheapo little locks with the zig-zag type keyhole.
-
- Solution:
-
- Handy dandy lockpick by Ronco--- namely, the old fashioned paper
- clip. Just open in up and bend the ends into teardrop shaped loops. The
- smaller end for small locks, the larger for larger ones. Put the loop all
- the way in, jiggle around and twist back and forth, Presto! It really
- works, I have three of these kind of locks at home from various sources.
- With a little practice, one of these mediocre pieces of security hardware
- will take no more time to get by than if you had the key. These little
- beauties may be found on toolsheds, toolboxes, cellar doors and mailboxes
- everywhere someone is too cheap to spend the extra couple bucks for a
- better lock. Those are another story (working on it).
-
-
- 8.05 FAQ File for alt.locksmithing
-
- The following have contributed to this FAQ:
-
- Scott Anguish <sanguish@digifix.com>
- J. James (Jim) Belonis II <manager@dirac.phys.washington.edu>
- Joe Ilacqua <spike@world.std.com>
- Elizabeth Lear <eliz@world.std.com>
- Larry Margolis <margoli@watson.ibm.com>
- Henry Schaffer <hes@ncsu.edu>
-
-
- Put together from postings by spike@world.std.com (Joe "Spike"
- Ilacqua), and hes@ncsu.edu (Henry Schaffer), with a major data
- collection effort by sanguish@digifix.com (Scott Anguish). Edited by
- hes. Translated to English by eliz@world.std.com (Elizabeth Lear).
-
- Last changed 6/16/92
-
- What follows are answers to some Frequently Asked Questions on
- alt.locksmithing. This FAQ does not attempt to teach you locksmithing,
- just to answer simple questions, give you some hints on getting started,
- and point you to sources of information. Also included is a glossary of
- common terms. The Appendix covers many supply places, books and tapes.
-
- Questions Answered:
-
- 1. Where can I get a lock pick set?
- 2. How can I make my own picks and tension wrenches?
- 3. Is it legal to carry lock picks?
- 4. Where can I get the "MIT Guide to Picking Locks"?
- 5. What books can I get on locksmithing?
- 6. What are "pick guns" or "automatic pickers" and do they work?
- 7. How do I open a Kryptonite lock?
- 8. How can I get keys stamped "DO NOT DUPLICATE" duplicated?
- 9. Do Skeleton Keys Exist?
- 10. Should I bother with high security ("pick proof") locks for my home?
- 11. What should I do after I read a book?
- 12. How do I continue learning about locksmithing?
- Glossary
- Appendix of sources, books, videotapes.
- Thanks
-
- 1. Where can I get a lock pick set?
-
- Try a locksmith supply house. Look under "Locksmiths' Equipment &
- Supplies" in the Yellow Pages. Your State or the company may have
- requirements, such as having to prove you are a locksmith or showing a
- drivers license; call and find out. Also look for mail order houses in the
- Appendix.
-
- 2. How can I make my own picks and tension wrenches?
-
- You can file or grind picks out of spring steel. It is best to use
- spring steel - sources include hacksaw blades, piano (music) wire, clock
- springs, streetsweeper bristles (which can be found along the street after
- the sweeper has passed), etc. In a pinch safety pin steel, or even a bobby
- pin (much worse) can be used. When grinding, keep the steel from getting so
- hot as to anneal (soften) it. You may have to re-harden/re-temper it. (See
- a book on knife making, gunsmithing, or machine shop practice for a
- discussion on heat treating steel.) Some people prefer a rigid tension
- wrench and just bend a small screwdriver for this, but many prefer a
- slightly flexible wrench and use spring steel.
-
- The "MIT Guide to Picking Locks" and the "Eddie The Wire" books
- (see below) cover making these tools. There are many places you can buy
- picks and tension wrenches. See the appendix.
-
- 3. Is it legal to carry lock picks?
-
- This depends on where you are. In the U.S. the common case seems to
- be that it is legal to carry potential "burglar tools" such as keys, picks,
- crowbars, jacks, bricks, etc., but use of such tools to commit a crime is a
- crime in itself. Call your local library, district attorney, or police
- department to be sure.
-
- Places where it *is* illegal to carry lock picks:
-
- The District of Columbia.
-
- 4. Where can I get the "MIT Guide to Picking Locks"?
-
- You can't. The guide must exist in an online form, but no one seems
- to have it. Rumor has it that (one of) the author(s) is aware of this group
- and is unwilling to post the guide.
-
- The guide is copyrighted, so scanning it in and posting would, in
- addition to violating the author's wishes, be illegal.
-
- 5. What books can I get on locksmithing?
-
- An excellent encyclopedic reference (based on reading the 1st
- edition - but people have said that the 2nd and 3rd editions carry on the
- coverage)
-
- The Complete Book of Locks & Locksmithing, 3rd Ed.
- C.A. Roper and Bill Phillips TAB Books
- ISBN 0-8306-3522-X (Paper) 0-8306-?522-1 (Hard)
- $18.95 (Paper) $26.95 (Hard)
-
- also many people think highly of:
-
- Eddie The Wire: How to Make Your Own Professional Lock Tools
- "Eddie The Wire" Loompanics Unlimited
- ISBN 0-685-39143-4
- 4 Volumes $20
-
- Your local book store should be able to order these for you. You
- can find other titles under "Locksmithing" in the Books In Print Subject
- Index, which any decent bookstore should have. Also see the Appendix.
-
- 6. What are "pick guns" or "automatic pickers" and do they work?
-
- A "pick gun" is a manual or powered device that uses a vibrating
- pin to try to bounce the pin tumblers so there are spaces at the shear
- line so the the plug can rotate. They are not a panacea, aren't always
- effective, and the net seems to feel that these are no substitute
- for a little skill with a pick and learning how locks work.
-
- 7. How do I open a Kryptonite lock?
-
- Easiest: If you registered your lock, call or write Kryptonite
- for a new key. Or call a local locksmith, the should be able to
- pick and re-key the lock for you.
-
- Easy: Get a car jack and jack it apart.
-
- Harder: If it doesn't have the newer brass jacket, peel back
- the plastic coating on the key end, drill out the pin that
- holds in the cylinder, remove the cylinder, open.
-
- Hardest: Chill the metal of the "U" with liquid Nitrogen or
- Freon, smash with hammer.
-
- 8. How can I get keys stamped "DO NOT DUPLICATE" duplicated?
-
- Some locksmiths will take the Reebok approach and "Just Do It".
- Some will even stamp "DO NOT DUPLICATE" on the copy for you. If that
- doesn't work, label the key by sticking some tape on the "DO NOT DUPLICATE"
- stamp and try again.
-
- 9. Do Skeleton Keys Exists?
-
- "Skeleton Keys" are keys ground to avoid the wards in warded locks.
- There is no analog with modern pin tumbler locks. Master keys may
- open a large set of locks, but this is designed in when the locks are
- installed.
-
- 10. Should I bother with high security ("pick proof") locks for my home?
-
- Why not? If you are installing locks, the better quality ones are
- not much more expensive, and are physically more secure (e.g., have
- hardened inserts to protect against drilling.) However, note that
- protection against picking doesn't add a large amount to your security
- since burglars almost always go the brute force route. Regardless, you
- should have a deadbolt, and check your window security.
-
- 11. What should I do after I read a book?
-
- After some reading, then the next thing is some experience. Go to
- K-Mart, buy a deadbolt lock for around $10, and take the entire thing apart
- (you'll need tools like screwdrivers, and perhaps a pair of pliers) to see
- how a pin tumbler lock works. K-Mart carries a clone of the Kwikset which
- is made to be very easy to take apart. (Key-in-knob locksets are both more
- expensive and harder to take apart.)
-
- You then can practice picking this lock by leaving out all but one
- stack of pins. This will be exceedingly easy to pick, and will mostly
- provide experience in manipulating the pick and tension wrench. Then put in
- one more pin stack and try again - feeling when one stack is picked and
- then the second one will let the cylinder move. Keep on adding stacks. Try
- picking with the curved finger, and also raking.
-
- 12. How do I continue learning about locksmithing?
-
- There are several things you can do to continue learning more about
- locks and locksmithing. One, of course, is to subscribe to a locksmithing
- magazine. Some years ago I compared the National Locksmith to the Locksmith
- Ledger and felt that the latter was a bit better on technical info. Call
- yourself a Student Locksmith, or perhaps a Security Consultant (surely you
- have given some advice to *somebody*!). But all this reading won't help all
- that much, so you have to continue buying various types of locks, taking
- them apart, figuring out everything about them, and installing, removing,
- modifying them. Buy some key blanks, make up a master key scheme, and file
- the keys to fit (assuming you don't have a key machine) - filing may take a
- few minutes, but it does work. Maybe buy a re-keying kit (kit of different
- size pins, with a follower) and do some re-keying for your family or
- friends (the same size pins fit, I think, the familiar Kwikset and Schlage
- pin tumbler locks) so that their deadbolts can be opened with their normal
- front door key. Or buy a deadbolt installation kit (hole saw plus template
- - I think that Black and Decker makes a good one, available at better
- building supply places) and put in a few deadbolts for your family and
- friends - charging them only for the material plus a couple of bucks
- towards the installation kit - and re-key the deadbolt for them, too. Buy
- or make a pick set, and use your practice locks to practice picking. Do you
- have a good locksmith supply catalog? If not, give a call to a local
- supplier, or perhaps to Kenco of Lincoln?, Nebraska (they have an 800
- number) and get their catalog - they sell lots of goodies including most
- everything I've been discussing. Help people at work who have been locked
- out of their desks or filing cabinets. Desks usually have wafer tumbler
- locks which are *much* easier to pick than pin tumbler locks. Filing
- cabinets are not as easy to pick, but are pickable (actually some are very
- easy to pick - they vary greatly) and also can be opened by pushing a
- flexible plastic ruler past the sliding drawer - carefully inspect some
- working cabinets to see what I'm talking about.
-
- Glossary:
-
- blank A key that has not yet been cut to fit a lock.
- core A removable cylinder and plug, used in a interchangeable core
- system.
- core key A key which is used to remove a core.
- cylinder The part of the lock in which the the pins are set and which
- contains the plug.
- cuts The notches cut in the key to make it fit a lock.
- key way The slot in which the key is inserted.
- master key A key which opens a group of locks designed to match it.
- plug The part of the lock which the key is inserted and is rotated
- by the key.
- warded lock A lock using wards to keep an incorrect key from
- entering the key hole and turning.
-
- Appendix
-
- Here are some of the things collected about locations and
- availabilities (most are from alt.locksmithing). We do not endorse
- any of these, but feel that you can get information by reading.
-
- Phoenix Systems Inc.
- P.O. Box 3339, Evergreen, CO 80439
- 303-277-0305 [Survivalist Group, all though the "Shoot all the Commies
- for God" stuff is kept to a minimum.]
-
- OUR LOCK PICKS ARE THE FINEST QUALITY PROFESSIONAL TOOLS AVAILABLE.
- Each pick is made of hard-finished clock-spring steel, tempered to the
- correct degree of hardness. Whether the subject is wafer tumbler
- locks or 6 & 7 pin tumbler locks, our picks are the best available,
- and the standard of the industry. With a few minutes of practice,
- even a beginner can open most padlocks, door locks and deadbolts.
- NOTE: BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR LOCAL, AND STATE ORDINANCES GOVERNING
- POSSESSION OF THESE TOOLS.
-
- #604 SUPERIOR PICK SET. Hip pocket size in top grain leather case.
- Our most complete set. 32 pick, tension tools & extractors. [Picks
- seem to be from 'HPC' but I can't tell for sure.] Price: $75.00 ea.
-
- #606 TYRO PICK SET. An excellent choice for the beginner. Cowhide
- leather case contains 9 picks, tension wrenches & key extractor.
- [Picks seem to be from 'HPC' but I can't tell for sure.] Price: $34.95
- ea.
-
- #607 WARDED PADLOCK PICK SET. This 5 piece padlock pick set is made
- of the finest blue tempered spring steel. This set will pick open
- most every warded padlock made today. Price: $9.95 ea.
-
- #610 DOUBLE-SIDED TUMBLER LOCK PICKS. Set of 4 picks for use with
- double-sided, disc tumbler, showcase, cam and PADLOCKS. An excellent
- addition to your other pick sets. Price: $24.95 ea.
-
- #617 PADLOCK SHIM PICKS. Open padlocks in seconds! Our new Padlock
- Shim pick's unique design makes them so successful that it is
- frightening! Simply slide the shim down between the shackle and the
- lock housing, twist and the lock is open. Works best on laminated type
- padlocks (the most popular type) but will open ALMOST ANY TYPE OF
- PADLOCK -- INCLUDING THE POPULAR 3 NUMBER COMBINATION TYPE. Include
- 20 shims -- 5 each of the 4 most common shackle diameters for perfect
- fit every time. Comes with complete instructions. Price: $39.95 set
-
- #618 SCHLAGE WAFER PICK SET. There are two types of Schlage wafer
- locks, each needing a different base key to pick with. This set comes
- with both types of base keys and the pick. With the proper base key
- the lock is already half picked. Very quick and easy to use. Comes
- with complete instructions. [It looks like 2 filed down keys, and a
- straight pointy piece of metal for the pick.] Price: $34.95 set
-
- #620 PICK GUN. Picks locks FAST. Open locks in less than 5 seconds.
- Specifically designed for tumbler locks. Insert pick into key slot,
- then just pull trigger. Throws all pins into position at one time.
- Lock is then turned with tension bar. Used extensively by police and
- other government agencies. Gun is spring loaded, with tension
- adjustment knob. Comes with 3 needle picks and tension bar. No
- batteries necessary. Life-time guarantee. [The model name is
- "LockAim", but I can't make out the brand name.] Price: Regular $75.00
- OUR SALE PRICE $59.95 ea.
-
- #612 THE SLIM JIM. Car door opener. The tool does not enter inside
- the car. Opens a car door by "feel" rather then sight. With a little
- practice, car opening will be no problem. For GM, Ford and Chrysler
- cars. Made of clock-spring steel and is hand finished. Price: $16.00 ea.
-
- #613 THE SUPER JIM. This tool will open most GM, Ford and AMC car
- doors. Opener does not enter vehicle. Made wider and thicker, and is
- bright nickel plated. Faster openings on most domestic automobiles.
- With illustrated instructions. Price: $16.00 ea.
-
- #614 HOUDINI CAR DOOR OPENER. The latest and best innovations on car
- door openers. It works the same as your old Slim Jim, except it now
- folds neatly to fit in pocket or toolbox without getting in the way.
- ONLY 6 1/2 INCHES LONG WHEN FOLDED. Open up and snaps into place like
- a fold-up ruler, excellent stainless steel constructions with vinyl
- handle for comfort. [Looks like a cross between a slim jim and a fold
- up ruler.] Price: $19.95 ea.
-
- #615 PRO-LOK "CAR KILLER" KIT. Over the years we have had thousands
- of requests for a multi-vehicle opening kit. We are now able to offer
- the most complete kit that we have ever seen. This kit of tools will
- open over 135 automobiles, both domestic and foreign, on the road
- today. The opening procedure for each vehicle is diagrammed and
- explained in the instruction manual. Kit comes with complete
- instruction manual and gas cap pick tool. [It's 2 slim jims, a couple
- of pieces of bent wire, one of which has a string on it, and a little
- 2 headed key. (I assume the key is for the gas cap.)] PRICE: $39.95
- ea.
-
- #600 TUBULAR LOCK PICK. This tool is an easy and reliable method for
- picking tubular locks, as found on commercial vending machines,
- washers, dryers, etc. This newest high tech design is much faster and
- easier to use than the old type that used rubber bands to hold the
- feeler picks. Internal neoprene "O" rings together with knurled
- collar provide a very simple and easy tension adjustment. Sturdy
- stainless steel construction provides for long-lasting service. This
- tool will, with a little practice, easily and quickly open any regular
- center-spaced tubular lock -- the most popular type of tubular lock on
- the market. Comes with complete instructions and leather carrying
- case. [A bunch of feeler picks around a tube.] Price: $129.95 ea. [
- Yipe!!! ]
-
- Here are a few titles: (with Library of Congress Catalog Number)
- --------------------------
-
- Title: Locksmithing
- Author: F.A. Steed
- LC Number: TS 520 S73 1982
-
- Title: All About Locks and Locksmithing
- Author: Max Alth
- LC Number: TS 520 A37 1972
-
- Title: Professional Locksmithing Techniques
- Author: Bill Phillips
- LC Number TS 520 P55 1991
-
- or you can buy books from (no credit cards)
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Loompanics Unlimited | When they say unusual, they
- Publishers & Sellers of Unusual Books | mean it! Everything from
- P.O. Box 1197 | igloo construction to
- Port Townsend, WA 98368 | techniques of execution.
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- #52042 B & E: A TO Z - HOW TO GET IN ANYWHERE, ANYTIME (VHS TAPE) by
- Scott French, 1987. Nearly two full hours of on-site techniques to
- get in any building, beat any lock, open any safe, enter any car.
- Price: $59.95
-
- #40031 INVOLUNTARY REPOSSESSION -OR- IN THE STEAL OF THE NIGHT by John
- Russell III (64pp, 1979). Written by a private detective for auto
- repossessors. All the standard methods of entering and starting
- locked, keyless automobiles are given. Price: $10.95
-
- #52050 TECHNIQUES OF BURGLAR ALARM BYPASSING by Wayne B. Yeager
- (110pp, 1990). Alarms covered include: Magnetic Switches, Window
- Foil, Sound and Heat Detectors, Photoelectric Devices, Guard Dogs,
- Central Station Systems, Closed-Circuit Television, and more. Price:
- $14.95
-
- #52047 THE B & E BOOK - BURGLARY TECHNIQUES AND INVESTIGATION by Burt
- Rapp (149pp, 1989). This is an investigatory guide and practical
- manual designed for the police officer in charge of a burglary
- investigation and its follow-up. Price: $14.95
-
- #52054 TECHNIQUES OF SAFECRACKING by Wayne B. Yeager (92pp, 1990).
- Chapters include: Safe Mechanics and Operations, Guessing the
- Combination, Manipulation Techniques, Safe Drilling Methods, Punching
- and Peeling, Torches Etc., Explosives, Miscellaneous Methods of Safe
- Entry, Safe Deposit Boxes, Deterrence and Prevention, and more. Price:
- $12.00
-
- #52052 HIGH SPEED ENTRY - INSTANT OPENING TECHNIQUES (VHS TAPE - 1Hr)
- 1990. Topics include: the Rabbit Tool and Hydra force door openers,
- the Omni Force jam spreader, the best exothermic lance in the world,
- two tools that open almost any auto in America, electronic locksmiths,
- rippers and pullers, shove knives and re-lockers, and more "techie"
- tools. A complete source guide is included. Price: $39.95
-
- #52032 THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO LOCK PICKING by Eddie the Wire (80pp
- 1981). The very best book ever written on how to pick locks (quite
- the claim). Topics covered include: Basic Principle and General
- Rules, How To Mount Practice Locks, Warded Locks, Disc Tumbler Locks,
- Lever Tumbler Locks, Pin Tumbler Locks, Wafer Tumbler Locks, Lock
- Modifications To Thwart Tampering And How To Overcome Them, Various
- Other Ways Of Bypassing Locks And Locking Mechanisms. Price: $14.95
-
- #52040 HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN PROFESSIONAL LOCK TOOLS (4 Volume set) by
- Eddie the Wire (31pp, 1980; 50pp 1981; 44pp, 1981; 55pp, 1986).
- Basically this set describes how to make all the tools mentioned the
- above book along with mass production techniques, carrying cases,
- using a PC to generate pick profiles, making "soft" break-ins, how to
- "case" a subdivision, and more. Price: $20.00
-
- #52044 PERSONAL PICKS (VHS TAPE - 72min) by Eddie the Wire, 1988.
- Demonstrates the step-by-step process of making lock tools in the home
- workshop. Price: $29.95
-
- #52051 EXPERT LOCK PICKING (VHS TAPE - 60min) by Ron Reed, 1990. The
- author has won the California Locksmiths Association lock-picking
- championship (I guess that's good). Uses specially designed cutaway,
- see-through locks, so you can view the inside mechanisms of working
- locks as they respond to picking techniques. Price: $59.95
-
- #52048 ADVANCED LOCK PICKING by Steven M. Hampton (50pp, 1989).
- Describes the inner workings of the new high-security locks and
- includes templates for making custom tools. Schematic diagrams for
- portable electronic picks to open magnetic key and card locks. Tips
- on enhancing finger sensitivity, concentration power, constructing
- practice lock boxes, and more. Price: $10.00
-
- #52045 CIA FIELD-EXPEDIENT KEY CASTING MANUAL (48pp, 1988). How to
- make a duplicate key when you can keep the original only a short time.
- Price: $8.00
-
- #52043 HOW I STEAL CARS - A REPO MAN'S GUIDE TO CAR THIEVES' SECRETS
- (VHS TAPE - 45min) by Pierre Smith, 1988. How to open and enter
- practically any modern automobile and how to start them without the
- key. Price: $49.95
-
- #52016 HOW TO FIT KEYS BY IMPRESSIONING by Desert Publications (26pp,
- 1975). Subjects covered include: Fitting bit keys, Fitting flat steel
- keys, Fitting lever tumbler keys, Fitting disc tumbler keys, Necessary
- tools, Techniques of obtaining impressions, and more. Price: $7.00
-
-
- 8.06 Lock Picking
-
- Author: Darc Deathe
-
- This tutorial will demonstrate how to "pick" a pin tumbler lock.
-
- Use of this material is for locksmiths only, any use of this information
- for illegal purposes is forbidden and against the law. (As long as we are
- at it, do you want to buy some land in florida?)
-
- In order to pick a pin tumbler lock, you will require four items:
- a lock, you, a pick, and a tension wrench. You can usually get these at a
- locksmith store, if you can not find one near you there will be an address
- at the end of the article that you can order them from. Here is an
- illustration of a pick and a tension wrench:
-
-
- ________/ !________
- PICK TENSION WRENCH
-
- Most people know of the need for the pick, but have no idea what
- the wrench is for. It is very important and without it it would be impossible
- to pick a lock.
-
- In order to pick a lock, we count upon the imperfection of the
- lock. Before we look at how to actually pick the lock, we will look at the
- parts of it and how the imperfection part fits in. Here is a dissassembled
- lock:
-
- / / / /
- \ \ \
- SPRINGS -> / / / /
- \ \ \
- ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
- ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
- DRIVERS -> ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
- !_! !_! !_! !_!
-
- _ _
- ! ! _ ! !
- ->! ! ! ! _ ! !
- ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
- \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/
-
- _____________________
- ! : : : : : : : : !
- HOUSING ->! : : : : : : : : !
- ! : : : : : : : : !
- !___: :_: :_: :_: :___!
- ! : : : : : : : : !
- Pg= -> ! : : : : : : : : !
- !_____________________!
- ! !
- ! !
- ! !
- !_____________________!
-
-
- ___
- / \
- ! !__ _ _
- ! \__ / \_/ \__
- ! \/
- \__/------------------- <- KEY
-
-
- When you insert a key into a lock, the bottom of the plug is pushed
- up, and if it is the proper key, the tops of the bottom pins will match
- with the spot where the plug and housing meet, thus allowing you to turn the
- plug, and open the door, etc.. when you have the key, the bottom pins go
- into the valleys of the key, thus meaning that the key must have the right
- height valleys to make the lock open. pretty elementry, right? Well now we
- can move on to how to pick a lock.
-
- In order to pick a lock we (as i said before) depend on the
- inaccuracy of the manufacturing process. the first thing to do is to insert
- the tension wrench into the lock and apply a slight pressure to the left
- (or right if you wish) so that if you could look inside the lock at where
- the plug and the housing would meet, it would look like this:
-
- ! !*! !
- HOUSING ! !*! !
- ! !*! !
- __________! !*! !___________
- __________ !*! ____________
- ! !*!!
- PLUG ! !_!!
- ! _ !
- ! !*!!
- ! \_/!
-
- Now a slight presure is on the pins. Because the pins can not be
- produced exactly the same, there is one pin which is the widest and there
- fore has more tension on it, and one which is the thinnest and has almost
- no pressure on it. We now use the pick to >gently< push each pin up (and
- try to feel it when you let it down) until we find which is the tightest on
- and which is loosest. Getting the feel for this is the hardest part of lock
- picking. Now that you have found the loosest one, gently press it upward
- until you feel a slight reduction in tension on the tension wrench. This
- will happen when the top of the bottom pin becomes even with the junction
- of the plug and the housing. Do not release any tension from the wrench
- now! the driver will now be trapped in the housing as illustrated here:
- (don't I draw pretty)
-
- ! !*! !
- HOUSING ! !*! !
- ! !*! !
- ___________! !_! !___________
- ____________ ___________
- ! !*! ! PLUG
- ! !*! !
- ! \_/ !
- ! !
-
- Now you continue this process with each of the pins until you work
- your way up to the one that is widest. With some practice you can get
- fairly fast at this. I suggest practicing on a four pin tumbler lock that
- is bought from a hardware store, the cheaper the better.
-
- I would like to discuss a paticular configuration of the pins now
- that may present a particularly hard job to pick. this is graphicly shown
- here by the two middle pins:
-
- !*! !*! !*! !*!
- !*! !*! !_! !*!
- !*! !*! _ !*!
- !_! !*! !*! !_!
- _ !*! !*! _
- !*! !*! !*! !*!
- !*! !_! !*! !*!
- !*! _ !*! !*!
- !*! !*! !*! !*!
- \_/ \_/ \_/ \_/
-
- \_______________
-
- When you try to push the 2nd pin from the left up, you will
- unavoidably be pushing the one in front of it up because of it's long
- bottom pin. The only solution for this is to get a special pick that looks
- like this:
-
-
- \ _______________
- \_/
-
- The major problem with this is that it is hard to initially detect.
- The reason that it makes it harder if it is not immedietly apperant is that
- you unavoidably push the 3rd pin from the left up into the housing, getting
- it jammed:
-
- ! !*! !
- HOUSING ! !_! !
- ! _ !
- ! !*! !
- __________! !*! !________
- ___________ !*! ________
- !!*!!
- PLUG !!*!!
- !\_/!
-
-
- I would also like to address a technique called raking. It uses a
- tool like this:
-
- \/\/\/|______________
-
- Basically you "rake" it and forth across the pins, hoping that
- combined with the tension it will give you the right combination. This way
- has been known to work fast at times, but is not very reliable, and I would
- suggest learning to actually "pick" the lock.
-
- Earlier i promised an address to order locksmithing materials from,
- so here it is:
-
- Garrison Protective Electronics
- Box 128
- Kew Gardens, New York, 11415
-
- Sources: Personal practice and many excellent books from mentor press, if
- you would like their catalog, send a sase to:
-
- The Intelligence Library
- Mentor Pulications
- 135-53 Northern Blvd.
- Flushing, NY 11354
-
- And ask for any information available on the intelligence library.
-
-
- 8.07 The Arts of Lockpicking
-
- Courtesy of: The Jolly Roger
-
- Lockpicking I: Cars and assorted other locks
-
- While the basic themes of lockpicking and uninvited entry have not
- changed much in the last few years, some modern devices and techniques have
- appeared on the scene.
-
- Automobiles:
-
- Many older automobiles can still be opened with a Slim Jim type of
- opener (these and other auto locksmithing techniques areocovered fully in
- the book "In the Still of the Night", by John Russell omo III); however,
- many car manufacturers have built cases over the lock mechanism, or have
- moved the lock mechanism so the Slim Jim will not work. So:
-
- American Locksmith Service
- P.O. Box 26
- Culver City, CA 90230
-
- ALS offers a new and improved Slim Jim that is 30 inches long and
- 3/4 inches wide, so it will both reach and slip through the new car
- lockocovers (inside the door). Price is $5.75 plus $2.00 postage and
- handling.
-
- Cars manufactured by General Motors have always been a bane to
- people who needed to open them, because the sidebar locking unit they
- employ is very difficult to pick. To further complicate matters, the new
- GM cars employ metal shields to make the use of a Slim Jim type instrument
- very difficult. So:
-
- Lock Technology Corporation
- 685 Main St.
- New Rochelle, NY 10801
-
- LTC offers a cute little tool which will easily remove the lock
- cylinder without harm to the vehicle, and will allow you to enter
- and/or start the vehicle. The GMC-40 sells for $56.00 plus $2.00
- for postage and handling.
-
- The best general automobile opening kit is probably a set of
- lockout tools offered by:
-
- Steck MFG Corporation
- 1319 W. Stewart St.
- Dayton, OH 45408
-
- For $29.95 one can purchase a complete set of six carbon lockout
- tools that will open more than 95% of all the cars around.
-
- Kwickset locks have become quite popular as one step security
- locks for many types of buildings. They areoa bit harder to pick and
- offeroa higherodegree of security than a normal builder installed door
- lock. So:
-
- A MFG
- 1151 Wallace St.
- Massilon, OH 44646
-
- Price is $11.95. Kwickset locks can handily be disassembled and the
- door opened without harm to either the lock or the door by using the above
- mentioned Kwick Out tool.
-
- If you are too lazy to pick auto locks:
-
- Veehof Supply
- Box 361
- Storm Lake, IO 50588
-
- VS sells tryout keys for most cars (tryout keys are used since
- there is no one master key for any one make of car, but there are group
- type masters (a.k.a. tryout keys). Prices average about $20.00 a set.
-
- Updated Lockpicking:
-
- For years, thereohave been a number of pick attack procedures for
- most pin and tumbler lock systems. In reverse order of ease they areoas
- follows:
-
- Normal Picking:
-
- Using a pick set to align the pins, one by one, until the shear
- line is set and the lock opens.
-
- Racking:
-
- This methodouses picks that areoconstructed with a series of bumps,
- or diamond shape notches. These picks are "raked" (i.e. run over all the
- pins at one time). With luck, the pins will raise in the open position and
- stay there. Raking, if successful, can be much less of an effort than
- standard picking.
-
- Lock Aid Gun:
-
- This gun shaped device was invented a number of years ago and has
- found application with many locksmiths and security personnel. Basically, a
- needle shaped pick is inserted in the snout of the "gun", and the "trigger"
- is pulled. This action snaps the pick up and down strongly. If the tip is
- slipped under the pins, they will also be snapped up and down strongly.
- With a bit of luck they will strike each other and separate at the shear
- line for a split second. When this happens the lock will open. The lock aid
- gun is not 100% successful, but when it does work, the results are wvery
- dramatic. You can sometimes open the lock with one snap of the trigger.
-
- Vibrator:
-
- Some crafty people have mounted a needle pick into an electric
- toothbrush power unit. This vibrating effect will sometimes open pin
- tumbler locks -- instantly.
-
- There is now another methodoto open pin and wafer locks in a very
- short time. Although it resembles a toothbrush pick in appearance, it is
- actuallyoan electronic device. I am speaking of the Cobra pick that is
- designed and sold by:
-
- Fed Corporation
- P.O. Box 569
- Scottsdale, AR 85252
-
- The Cobra uses two nine volt batteries, teflon bearings (for less
- noise), and a cam roller. It comes with three picks (for different types
- of locks) and works both in America and overseas, on pin or wafer locks.
- The Cobra will open group one locks (common door locks) in three to seven
- seconds with no damage, in the hands of an experiencedmlocksmith. It can
- take a few seconds more or up to a half a minute for someone with no
- experience at all. It will also open group two locks (including
- government, high security, and medecos), although this can take a short
- time longer. It will not open GM sidear locks, although a device is about
- to be introduced to fill that gap. How much for this toy that will open
- most locks in seven seconds?
-
- $235.00 plus $4.00 shipping and handling.
-
- For you hard core safe crackers, FC also sells the MI-6 that will
- open most safes at a cost of $10,000 for the three wheel attack model, and
- $10,500 for the four wheel model. It comes in a sturdy aluminum carrying
- case with monitor, disk drive and software.
-
- If none of these safe and sane ideas appeal to you, you can always
- fall back on the magic thermal lance...
-
- The thermal lance is a rather crude instrument constructed from 3/8
- inch hollow magnesium rods. Each tube comes in a 10 foot length, but can be
- cut down if desired. Each one is threaded on one end. To use the lance, you
- screw the tube together with a matted regulator (like a welding outfit
- uses) and hook up an oxygen tank. Then oxygen is turned on and the rod is
- lit with a standard welding ignitor. The device produces an incredible
- amount of heat. It is used for cutting up concrete blocks or even rocks. An
- active lance will go through a foot of steel in awfew seconds. The lance
- is also known as a burning bar, and is available from:
-
- C.O.L. MFG
- 7748 W. Addison
- Chicago, IL 60634
-
-
- 8.1 COMBINATION LOCKS
-
- 8.11 FINDING THE COMBINATION ON MASTER LOCKS
-
- Authors: Gin Fizz/2600 Club!/TPM and Ninja NYC/TPM
- From: ==Phrack Inc.== Vol 1, Issue 1, Phile #6 of 8
- _ _ _______
- | \/ | / _____/
- |_||_|etal/ /hop
- _________/ /
- /__________/
-
-
- Have you ever tried to impress your friends by picking one of those
- Master combination locks and failed? Well then, read on. The Master lock company
- has made this kind of lock with a protection scheme. If you pull the handle of
- it hard, the knob won't turn. That was their biggest mistake...
- Ok, now on to it.
-
- Get out any of the Master locks so you know what's going on.
-
- 1st number:
-
- The handle part (the part that springs open when you get the
- combination), pull on it, but not enough so that the knob won't move.
- While pulling on it turn the knob to the left until it won't move any more.
- Then add 5 to this number. Congradulations, you now have the 1st number.
-
- 2nd number: (a lot tougher)
-
- Ok, spin the dial around a couple of times, then go to the first
- number you got, then turn it to the right, bypassing the 1st number once.
- WHEN you have bypassed. Start pulling the handle and turning it. It will
- eventually fall into the groove and lock. While in the groove pull on it and
- turn the knob. If it is loose go to the next groove; if it's stiff you've got
- the second number.
-
- 3rd number:
-
- After getting the 2nd, spin the dial, then enter the 2 numbers, then
- after the 2nd, go to the right and at all the numbers pull on it. The lock will
- eventually open if you did it right. If can't do it the first time, be patient,
- it takes time.
-
- Have phun...
-
-
- 8.12 PICKING COMBINATION LOCKS
-
- Author: The Byte Byter (Metal Communications)
-
- First of all, let me tell you about the set-up of a lock. When the lock
- is locked, there is a curved piece of metal wedged inside the little notch
- on the horseshoe shaped bar that is pushed in to the lock when you lock it.
- To free this wedge, you must (must is a word used too much) you usually (that
- sounds much better) have to turn the lock to the desired combination and the
- pressure on the wedge is released therefore letting the lock open.
-
- I will now tell you how to make a pick so you can open a lock without
- having to waste all that time turning the combination (this also helps when you
- don't know the combination to begin with). First of all, you need to find a
- hairpin. What's a hairpin ? Well, just ask your mom. She will have one. If she
- asks what its for, say you have to hold something together... If she says use
- a rubberband or use a paperclip, tell her to fuck off and die and then go to
- the store and rip off a box of 50 or so.
-
- Ok, enough stalling (yeah, I was stalling). Once you have your hair pin
- (make sure its metal), take the ridged side and break it off right before it
- starts to make a U-turn onto the straight side. The curved part can now be used
- as a handle. Now, using a file, file down the other end until it is fairly
- thin. You should do this to many hairpins and file them so they are of
- different thicknesses so you can pick various locks.
-
- Some locks are so cheap that you don't even have to file! But most are
- not. Ok, now you have a lock pick.
-
- Now if you haven't figured it out, here's how you use it. You look at a
- lock to see which side the lock opens from. If you can't tell, you will just
- have to try both sides. When you find out what side it opens from, take the
- lock pick and stick the filed end into the inside of the horseshoe-shaped bar
- on whichever side the lock opens from.
-
- Now, put pressure on the handle of the lock pick (pushing down, into
- the crack) and pull the lock up and down. The lock will then open because the
- pick separated the wedge and the notch allowing us thieves to open it. Don't
- say bullshit until you've tried it.
-
- Because of this, I have got lots of beer money from doing this to
- fellow students' gym lockers. Also, this technique works best on American
- locks. I have never picked a Master lock before because of the shape a
- pressure of the wedge but if anyone does it, let me know how long it took.
- Also, the Master lock casing is very tight so you can't get the pick in.
- So, if you're locking something valuable up, use a Master, because at least
- you know I won't be picking it and I'm sure there aren't that many that could.
-
- And when I say pick, I don't mean lighting a stick of dynamite next
- to the lock, picking is opening a lock without using force, making a substitute
- key, etc... If any of you believe that this information is not sufficient for
- picking an American lock, or any other kind besides Master, leave me a message
- at /\/\etallant 1.
-
- 8.15 BREAKING and ENTERING
-
-
- 8.151 Breakin' in A to Z (BnE Checklist)
-
- Author: Joe Hunt of the !B!ILLIONAIRE! !B!OYS !C!LUB
-
-
- This is a list of need equipment for must jobs.
- Check list for equipment for operation:
-
- Rubber Surgical Gloves 5.00-
- 3 Black Army Duffle Bags. 20.00-
- 6 Plasic Garbage Bags.... 2.55!
- G.I. Army Flashlight... 7.50-
- #606 Tyro Pick Set.......... 34.95+
- #781 Lock Picking Simplified 6.00+
- #784 Complete Guide to Lock
- Picking................ 9.95+
- #783 Locks & Alarms......... 15.95+
- 64-2165 2cyl. Pocket Gas Torch. 25.95*
- 64-2166 Replacement Butane Cyl.. 3.29*
- 64-2167 Replacement Micronox Cyl 2.59*
- 64-404 Crimp Tool.............. 4.49*
- 64-1823 Set of 7 Screwdrivers... 5.29*
- 64-1805 Hobby Knife............. 1.19*
- 278-002 6 Heavy-Duty Cables..... 3.99*
- 20-107 Portable Scanner....... 99.95*
- ch. 2,3,4,5.........each 4.98*
- 33-174 Monaural Earphones...... 1.49*
- 21-1639 Realistic trc-219.......59.95*
- -------
- 332.96
-
- KEY:
-
- - You might have them around the house
- + You can buy it a phoenix systems
-
- * Buy them at you local radio shack
-
- List of supliers:
-
- Phoenix systems
- P.O. Box 3339 Evergreen, CO. 80439
- 303-674-2653
-
-
- 8.2 Locks and Physical Security Devices
-
- Author: Sterling
- From: Informatik, The Journal of Priviledged Information
-
-
- Introduction
- ------------
-
- Ever since man has had something worth keeping, he has devised ways to
- protect it. The Egyptians were the first to develop a working lock of any
- complexity. It was based on a flat, wooden "key" with a series of raised pins
- that enable the user to slide back a wooden bolt that protected the door from
- entry. Advances in metallurgy eventually brought forth locks of iron.
-
- As locks became more complex, the great medieval locksmiths' guilds
- carefully guarded their secrets. Restrictions forbid the guild's members from
- discussing the relatively simple inner workings of locks for fear of losing
- their power. By protecting their secrets, the locksmiths were able to exploit
- their unique skills, charging outlandish sums for their services.
-
- The same principles apply today. That is why a locksmith can charge you
- $60 to come and unlock the door to your house. Americans spend millions each
- year on security systems to protect their property. Often this money is wasted
- on devices that really provide only limited protection. In this text I would
- like to expose how locks and security systems work, and how you can bypass them
- if needed.
-
- It is easy to lose faith in the common door lock once you understand its
- simple operation. It took me less than a week with my lock picks before I
- could open my front door. Any first timer can open a desk or filing cabinet
- after achieving a basic understanding of the principles of modern locks.
- Hopefully this article will expose to more people just how unsecure locks can
- be, and with practice you should be able to pick your way into your house
- should the need arise.
-
- The content of the article comes from a wide variety of sources. Personal
- experience, excerpts and summaries from the "alt.locksmithing" newsgroup, and
- from locksmithing and lockpicking books. Special thanks goes out to *Hobbit*
- for his simplex and hotel lock articles.
-
- There are several types of locks that you are likely to encounter. These
- locks are easy to spot and identify what you know what to look for. Here I
- will discuss everything from the seldom used "warded lock" to alarm systems.
-
-
- Table of Contents:
- ------------------
-
- Key Operated Locks
- Latches
- The Warded Lock
- The Lever Lock
- The Wafer (Disc) Tumbler Lock
- The Pin Tumbler Lock
- Tubular Cylinder Locks
-
- Lockpicking Tools
- The Basic Picks
- Making Your Own Picks
- Purchasing Picks
-
- Attitude and Tips for Success
-
- Other Security Devices
- Combination Locks
- Magnetic Locks
- Simplex Locks
- Automotive Protection Systems
- The Marlock System
- VingCard Locks
- Electronic Hotel Card Locks
- Alarm Systems
-
-
-
- Type of Latches
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
- The latch is a spring bolt that actually holds the door shut. This is in
- contrast to the deadbolt, that had NO spring, and must be manually engaged.
- There are two primary types of latches, the springlatch and the deadlatch.
-
- The springlatch is much more convenient, when the door is shut, the
- springlatch springs into place, locking the door shut. This is the type of
- latch found on most key-in-knob type door locks. The problem with the
- springlatch is that it is easily defeated by sliding a plastic card or thin
- knife and forcing it back. To prevent this, a latch guard can be installed.
- This is a device constructed from heavy steel folded lengthwise at a ninety
- degree angle or a T-bar shape. It is usually anywhere from six to twelve
- inches in length and is fastened to the edge of the door by bolts. The latch
- guard hides the latchbolt, and prevents any tampering with it.
-
- The deadlatch cannot be shoved open like the unprotected springlatch can.
- When the door is closed, the latch bolt is secure in the lock position and acts
- as a deadbolt (a bolt that is not spring loaded, and resists any end pressure).
- The deadlatch resembles a smaller, beveled bolt projecting from the latchbolt.
- On some designs, the deadlatch takes the shape of an additional bolt, somewhat
- smaller, and usually placed higher up on the lock body. A key or interior
- locking mechanism must be used to engage the deadlatch and lock the door.
-
-
-
- The Warded Lock
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- The warded lock's basic design was created by the ancient Romans. The
- basic principle behind its operation is a series of "wards" (projecting
- obstructions) that prevent all but the proper cut key from being rotated inside
- the lock. These obstructions have been placed in the path of the turning of
- the bit portion of the key. This type of lock utilizes a key that has been
- notched in a way that it clears all the wards, but is still able to turn the
- bolt. These locks are easy to recognize. They are the "classic" antique lock
- that you may still find in old houses.
-
-
- _______ blade (stem) ##### handle (bow)
- / \ ########
- | | ################################# ##
- \ / ################################# ##
- | | #### ### ########
- / \ #### ### #####
- / \ ####
- / \ bit a warded key for a two-ward lock
- /___________\
-
- warded key lock entrance
-
-
-
- The number of wards in the lock can vary, but normally two is the minimum.
- When a user inserts a key into the warded lock, the metal obstructions inside
- the lock allow only the proper key to be inserted. The key bittings allow the
- key to turn in a circular motion, opening the lock through one of four
- different mechanisms:
-
- 1) The key lifts a detent lever while throwing the bolt, providing
- deadbolt action. (Deadbolt action means that the bolt is secure
- against end pressure.)
-
- 2) The key moves a bolt whose locked or unlocked position is maintained
- by the action of a humped flat spring in two notches on the bolt.
-
- 3) The key moves directly against the latch tail of a latchbolt, or does
- so through the action of a floating lever.
-
- 4) The key inserts between two springs and wedges them apart as it is
- turned. (Usually only in warded padlocks)
-
- Picking
-
- These locks offer only token security to the user. Besides being easy to
- circumvent, the warded locks offers only about fifty alternate keying
- combinations. Picking them is generally regarded as trivial. All that is
- required is to bypass the wards and move the bolt into the unlocked position.
- This can be accomplished by using a pick known as a "buttonhook". To make your
- own buttonhook pick, use a pair of pliers to bend a six inch section of coat
- hanger into a warded key shape as below:
-
- ########
- ### ##
- ################################# ##
- # ## ##
- ### ## #
- #####
-
- The wire should be thin enough to pass into the keyway while avoiding all
- the wards, but stiff enough that it can still manipulate the bolt to open the
- lock. Though you may have to make a "large" and a "small" warded lock pick,
- the same principle applies.
-
-
- The Lever Lock
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Robert Barron invented the lever lock in 1778. This constituted a
- considerable improvement over the ancient warded lock. It was based on a
- series of several "levers" that must each be raised to their own set height.
- If a particular lever was lifted to high or not enough, then the lock would not
- open. When the proper key is inserted, the notches on the key raise all the
- lever tumblers the required distance, lining up all the gates, allowing the
- lock to be opened. Not only was this new lock much harder to pick, it offered
- up to ten billion possible keying combinations. (The amount of practical
- combinations is actually around fifty thousand)
-
-
- #####
- __ #######
- / \ ## ### #### ## ########### ##
- \ / ###### ####### ########### ##
- | | a lever or "lever tumbler" ########################### ##
- | | lock keyhole #######
- |__| ####
-
- a lever tumbler lock key
-
-
- Since its design the lever tumbler lock has undergone numerous
- improvements. One of the is called the parautopic lock. The parautopic lock
- consisted of two sets of lever tumbler, where the first worked on the second.
- It also proved a plate that turned with the key so that one could not inspect
- the locks interior construction. Lever locks, though limited in use, can still
- be found today in some hospitals, suitcases, cabinets, fine furniture, and
- attache cases. Lever locks are also used on safe-deposit boxes, often with
- fifteen or more levers and sometimes requiring two keys.
-
- Picking
-
- Lever locks are a little harder to pick then the wafer and pin tumbler
- variety. In fact, the type of lever locks used on safe-deposit boxes are very
- difficult to pick indeed. To pick a lever lock requires that tension be placed
- against the deadbolt throughout the course of lifting one or more levers within
- the lock to the required alignment with the post. This requires the use of a
- "lever lock tension wrench" and a "hook" or "lifter" pick. [Picks are
- discussed later in the Lockpicking Tools section.]
-
- Insert the lever lock tension wrench (a bit different than a normal
- tension wrench) into the keyway, and exert torsional pressure. The long bit is
- the part you hold, the next bend runs to the bottom of the lock, and the final
- bend fits into the notch in the bolt. Unlike most other types of locks, the
- lever locks requires you to exert considerable pressure on the tension wrench
- while picking. Usually the lever springs provide enough force to cause the
- levers to drop back down once picked. Because of the greater pressure, lever
- locks may require a slightly thicker tension wrench then normal.
-
- Then insert the hook pick all the way into the lock. Locate the back
- lever and raise it gently until you FEEL or HEAR a slight "click". With the
- lever locks, the force required to push against the spring is substantially
- more than in other locks. Once it reaches the correct position, the gate will
- align with the post, and you should notice a slight "give" in the deadbolt, as
- there is now one less lever obstructing the lock from opening. You should note
- that once a lever has been picked, the amount of force required to lift that
- lever will be substantially less.
-
- Move on to the next lever by slightly withdrawing the pick and repeat the
- process. Each subsequent lever will require the use of slightly less tension
- then on the previous ones. Otherwise the increased tension could cause the
- lock to bind up.
-
- Once you have picked each individual lever, the lock should open. If it
- does not, then reinsert the pick (always maintaining tension with your wrench)
- and jiggle each lever slightly to ensure correct alignment.
-
- Each lever does not require very much lift. This is due to the fact that
- the maximum depth of the cut under any tumbler is no more than half the width
- of the key, and never more than two-thirds its width. You should therefore use
- a pick that does not have too much "hook" to it.
-
-
- The Wafer Tumbler Lock
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- The wafer tumbler lock was developed as a low-cost lock that offered a
- reasonable degree of security to the owner. These locks are make up over
- one-fourth of all the locks in the world. The outside of the lock resembles
- the pin tumbler lock (yet to be discussed), but uses a much simpler mechanism.
- Wafer keyways usually have simple side ward indentions. The key is usually
- shorter than that of other locks, but equally broad. It may be cut on one or
- both sides. A two sided wafer lock is often called a "double wafer." The lock
- consists of four main parts. The plug housing, which contains the wafers and
- springs, the shell, the cam (locking bolt), and the retainer. The wafers are
- sometimes referred to as "discs" because their top and bottom are rounded to
- fit into the cylinder. Here is a diagram:
-
-
-
- 5
- ___ 7 | ___
- ||############## 1-> @| _ |_
- ## ||## ## ## ## ## @||2||/
- 6##||##4##3##2##1## <-keyway @||_||
- ## ||## ## ## ## ## \|___|
- ___||############## 3
- |
- \plug/ detail of a wafer tumbler
-
- cutaway side view 1) spring
- of a wafer lock 2) key slot
- 3) spring wing
-
- 1-4) spacings #1-4
- 5) cam (operates the bolt)
- 6) retainer (rear plug)
- 7) the shell (body of the lock)
-
-
- Each lock has a series of chambers in which the wafers rest. These
- spacing closest to the front of the lock is numbered with one, and their
- numbers increase toward the back of the lock. Picture a number of the wafers
- placed face-to-face in the plug's spacing chambers. Each wafer is equal in
- overall size, but the key slots are of varying height. A metal spring exerts
- pressure on the spring wing of each wafer, forcing its lower part into the
- shell's "locking grooves" which lets the lower portion hang about midway into
- the keyway. Looking into the lock, you should be able to see this. These
- wafers act to hold the plug and shell together, preventing the lock from
- turning.
-
- When the correct key is inserted, it goes through the key slots on each
- wafer, raising the wafers out of the locking groove. The key must have the
- appropriate depth of cut in each position to raise the wafer the correct
- amount. The depth of the key's cut (and the length of the wafer's key slot) is
- any one of five different depths. The shorter the top edge of the wafer's key
- slot, the lower the key cut depth value. For instance the number 1 slot (the
- slot that is the largest) would require the shallowest cut in the key.
- Normally lock manufacturers place a number four or five wafer near the keyhole
- to block the view of the back wafers. Also note that the same type of wafer
- may appear several times in the same lock.
-
- Above some brands of wafer tumbler lock you will see a small hole. When
- the lock has been unlocked, you can remove the entire lock plug by inserting a
- piece of stiff wire into this hole and depressing the retainer. Though nowhere
- near as secure as the pin tumbler lock, the wafer tumbler is a very popular,
- low cost lock. The lock is normally found on cheaper cabinets and desks, some
- padlocks, some automobile locks, locking handles, and trailer doors. Where
- more security is desired, the double wafer type is used, providing wafers on
- the top and bottom of the keyway.
-
- Picking
-
- Though harder to pick then the warded lock, the wafer lock is still easy
- to circumvent. This is an excellent lock to practice on because the techniques
- required to pick it are applicable to the pin tumbler lock as well. Like the
- lever lock, picking the wafer tumbler lock requires use of a tension wrench and
- a pick. A variety of the different picks can be used including the rake, the
- hook, the half-diamond, and the half-round pick. Selection depends on the size
- of the lock, the distance between each wafer, and personal preference.
-
- Raking
-
- One of the most common methods of picking the wafer tumbler lock is by
- raking. To rake the lock, insert the tension wrench is inserted just inside
- the keyway, stopping short of the first wafer, and flush with the bottom of the
- keyway. Apply moderate tension to the wrench. If you apply too much tension
- the wafers will bind and not be able to move into alignment. Once you have the
- tension wrench in place, insert either the rake or half-round pick into the
- keyway. Don't worry about feeling the tumblers, instead concentrate on
- applying uniform pressure to them as you move the rake in and out of the keyway
- in a scrubbing motion. This scrubbing motion should cause the wafers to lift
- into alignment as they are thrown up and down in their spacings. This method
- is usually quite effective on most wafer locks, and should always be tried
- first.
-
- Manipulating Individual Wafers
-
- If the lock does not respond to raking, you can try using the half-diamond
- pick to each wafer into alignment one-by-one. While maintaining light but
- consistent pressure with the tension wrench, use the pick to lift each wafer
- into alignment at the shear line, starting from the backmost tumbler. Once it
- reaches the proper alignment, you should feel or hear a slight "click" and the
- plug will turn ever so slightly, relieving a bit of pressure on the wrench.
- Continue one-by-one, working outward, until each tumbler has been aligned and
- the lock opens.
-
- Vibration Picking
-
- Often you can use a technique called vibration picking to open a wafer
- tumbler lock. This uses a tool known as a "snapper" pick or a "lockpick gun".
- [These are described in the Lockpicking Tools section of this article] To use
- the snapper pick maintain a light tension with the wrench and insert the tip of
- the pick into the keyway, just touching the bottom of the tumblers. Then use
- the thumb, which rests along the top edge of the pick to depress the top loop.
- Let the thumb slide off the compressed part of the pick, permitting it to snap
- back. It will then strike a light blow to the tumblers, popping them up until
- they are held in place at the shear line. Repeated snaps, while maintaining
- tension with the wrench, usually results in aligning all the tumblers, and thus
- opening the lock. The lockpick gun works automatically, with a trigger device
- that "snaps" its wire pick up in the keyway.
-
- Picking Double Wafer Locks
-
- Double Wafer locks are picked the same way as single wafer locks, but
- there two sides to the story. Not only must you align all the top wafers, but
- the bottom ones as well. You can purchase special designed tension wrenches
- with will let you then use a ball pick to pick both sets of wafers.
- Alternatively you can use a standard tension wrench in the center of the
- keyway, using a half diamond pick. Once you have picked one set, simply
- reverse the pick and pick the other. It may take a few tries before you are
- able to hold all the wafers in place.
-
-
-
- The Pin Tumbler Lock
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Pin tumbler locks are by far the most popular lock today. Over half of
- the locks in use are of the pin tumbler type. They look similar to the wafer
- tumbler lock, but can easy be distinguished by their round pins, visible in the
- keyhole. There operation is also similar to the wafer type, but is more costly
- and requires much stricter machining tolerances. Here are some diagrams:
-
-
- |
- |
- |
- |________________________________________
- | | @ | | @ | | @ | | @ | | @ |
- | | @ | | @ | | @ | | @ | | @ | Tumbler springs
- | | @ | | @ | | @ | | @ | | @ |
- | | @ | 4 | @ | | @ | | @ | | @ |
- | | @ | ||~|| | @ | ||~|| ||~||
- |___||~||___|| ||___||~||___|| ||___|| ||__ _ _ _ _ _ _Shearline
- \_ ||1|| 3 || || || || || || || | |
- \_|| ||___||~||___|| ||___||~||___||~| |
- |~| | | |~| | | | | |
- keyway |2| | | | | | | | | | Plug
- |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |
- +-----------------------------------------+
- |
- |
- |
- |
- The pin tumbler lock, cutaway side view (locked)
- 1) top pin
- 2) bottom pin
- 3) cylinder (top of plug)
- 4) shell
-
-
-
- |
- |
- |
- |________________________________________
- | | @ | | @ | | @ | | @ | | @ |
- | | @ | | @ | | @ | | @ | | @ | Tumbler springs
- | | @ | | @ | | @ | | @ | | @ |
- | || || 4 || || || || || || || ||
- | ||1|| || || || || || || || ||
- |___|| ||_ _|| ||___|| ||___|| ||___|| ||__ _ _ _ _ _ _Shearline
- \_ ||~|| 3 ||~|| ||~|| ||~|| ||~| |
- \_||2||___|| ||___|| ||___|| ||___|| | |
- | | |_| | | | | |
- keyway |_| |_| |_| | Plug
- |
- +-----------------------------------------+
- |
- |
- |
- |
- The pin tumbler lock, cutaway side view (unlocked)
-
- 1) top pin (drivers)
- 2) bottom pin (key pins)
- 3) cylinder (top of plug)
- 4) shell
-
-
-
- ___________________ ___________________
- _/ @ \_ _/ @ \_
- / @ 3 \ / @ 3 \
- | @ | | | | |
- | | | | | |2| |
- | ____|2|____ | | ____|_|____ |
- | / |_| \ | | / | | \ |
- | | _| |_ 4 | | | | _|1|_ 4 | |
- | | / |1| \ | | | | / |_| \ | |
- | | | |_| | | | | | | | | |
- | | | | | | | | | | | |
- | | | 5 | | | | | | 5 | | |
- | | \_____/ | | | | \_____/ | |
- | | 6 | | | | 6 | |
- | \___________/ | | \___________/ |
- | 7 | | 7 |
- \_ _/ \_ _/
- \___________________/ \___________________/
-
- Locked Unlocked
-
- Pin Tumbler Lock (front) Pin Tumbler Lock (front)
-
- 1) bottom pin (key pins)
- 2) top pin (drivers)
- 3) tumbler spring
- 4) shear line
- 5) keyway
- 6) plug (cylinder)
- 7) shell
-
- OK, I will explain how the pin tumbler lock works, but you really should
- consider going to K-Mart and buying a cheap lock to take apart and study. In
- the lock's shell (main body) there is the keyway and three to eight (usually
- five) spacings drilled from the top of the lock into the keyway. This is
- similar in principle to the wafer lock. In each of theses spacings are two
- pins and a spring. The top pins are always the same length, while each bottom
- pins can each be any of ten different sizes (0-9). Note that the bottom pins
- have a rounded bottom, allowing for them to ride up the key easier. The spring
- forces the pin stack down so that the lower pin protrudes into the keyway.
- (The wedge slot keeps them from falling all the way to the bottom of the
- keyway) When the correct key is inserted, each pin stack is lifted according to
- how deep or shallow the key is cut in that corresponding location. To open the
- lock, the top of bottom pin (the point where the top and bottom pin meet) must
- line up with the lock plug and the shell (the shearline). When in this
- position, the lock is unlocked and the plug can rotate around, taking the
- bottom pin around with it. If any pin is raised too high, or not high enough,
- then that pin keeps the plug from turning inside the lock shell. Of course in
- the locked position, all the pins stop the plug from turning.
-
- These locks are used almost everywhere. The provide over a million
- possible combinations for a five pin lock, and billions for the eight pin.
- These are the standard door locks in most residential and commercial buildings.
- Often you will find pin tumbler locks with only three pins on cheap desks, some
- copy machines, and storage lockers. They offer a reasonable degree of
- security, but are far from tamper proof.
-
- Picking
-
- Picking the pin tumbler lock is based on the principle that slight
- imperfections exist in every lock. Every lock is machined to certain sets of
- tolerances, such as plus or minus .0002 inches. The closer the tolerance, the
- harder the lock is to pick, but the more expensive the machining costs. That
- is what makes one pin tumbler lock harder to pick than another. This variation
- in the lock's components means that in attempting to turn the plug in the lock
- without the proper key, one tumbler will be caught up and become tight before
- subsequent tumblers are. Therefore, when turning tension is applied to the
- plug with a tension wrench, and the tight tumbler is lifted with a pick, there
- will be either a clicking feel or a sudden relief in the tension the tumbler
- exerts on the pick. This relief of tension occurs when the pin is brought up
- even with the shear line. At this time, lifting can be stopped.
-
- Use a hook pick to lift each pin to its breaking point, starting with the
- pin that is bound (resisting) the tightest. Gently pry the pin up against the
- spring pressure until it breaks at the shear line. Care must be taken not to
- lift the pin too high, or it may become jammed in the upper chamber. It is
- often impossible to get this pin back down without releasing tension on the
- plug.
-
- A common problem is applying too much tension. A light touch should be
- used because too much pressure on the wrench not only makes it hard to feel any
- change in torsional pressure, but tends to bind all the pins, making picking
- order difficult to determine. The tension wrench needs only to provide a
- little torque so that the pins stay up once picked.
-
- Raking and Vibration picking
-
- You can also use the raking and vibration picking methods described in the
- section on wafer tumbler locks to pick pin tumblers. You can even use a
- combination of raking and pin picking. Simply rake the pins a few times, and
- then go back and pick any pins that the rake missed. You can use the hook pick
- to probe each pin. If the pin feels "springy" then it has not yet broke at the
- shear line.
-
- Another technique: Start picking at the back pin, the one furthest away
- from you as you face the keyway. The reason for this is relatively simple.
- The rear pin will be the last worn, and when you break it, the lock's plug will
- move the most it ever will for just one pin breaking. This will make it easier
- to pick the other pins, as the break between the inner and outer cylinders will
- be progressively held tight against the pin you are working, as you work the
- lock from rear to front. The reason the rear pin is least worn is that
- inserting a key "rakes" the pins up and down, wearing down their sides. The
- rear pin is raked only once per time the key is inserted, the pin in front of
- it is raked twice, and so on. Its not uncommon to see locks in which the front
- pin can not be picked before the rear ones. The reason was that it was worn
- down to the point that no amount of torsion would cause the inner plug to put
- any force against it. Consequently, it won't break.
-
- Rapping
-
- Sometimes you can use a form of vibration picking known as rapping to open
- a pin tumbler lock. A tension wrench is inserted into the keyway, and light to
- moderate tension is applied. At the same time, the face of the plug is struck
- sharply with a plastic mallet or hammer handle. The rapping forces the springs
- and pins to gravitate toward the force of the blows. Hopefully this vibrates
- the picks into their breaking positions. DO NOT HIT TOO HARD! Approach this
- method with caution.
-
- Practicing
-
- To learn how to pick pin tumbler locks, it is best to go to the store and
- buy a "practice" lock. Try to find either a KwikSet brand or a cheap Ilco lock
- cylinder. On top of the lock shell is a little sliding strip that covers the
- pin spacings. Carefully slide it out. you can then take out the spring, the
- top pin, and the bottom pin. Remove all but one the assemblies and replace the
- cover. Now you can practice on picking the lock with only one pin. When you
- become good at that, insert another stack of pins, and so on until you can pick
- the lock with all five pins in place.
-
- Spool Pins
-
- It is possible that in the course of picking a high security pin tumbler
- locks, the plug will turn a bit as if it were going to unlock, then stop. I
- will turn no more than 2 or 3 degrees around. This means you have encountered
- a spool pin. These are simply drivers, or key pins, or both that have had
- their center portions cut down to a smaller diameter.
-
- ______
- |_ _|
- | | | | Lock body Note that any torsion applied to the
- ___| | | |____ cylinder will tend to catch the spooled
- ||____|| pins at their waists instead of at the
- | ____ | Cylinder break between the pins. This will
- ||_ _|| either prevent the pick from pushing
- | | | | the pin up if the top spool is caught,
- | | | | or it will prevent the pin from falling
- ___|| ||____ down, if the bottom spool is caught.
- | |
- \__/ Keyway
-
- spool pins
-
-
- With a hook pick, you'll be able to press up on each pin and feel the
- difference. When you have a spool pin caught across the shear line, gentle
- upward pressure will result in force in the opposite direction of the way
- you're turning. Determine which pins are spool pins and push up until the
- bottom of the pin (assuming it's a top pin) crosses the shear line. You might
- lose some previously picked pins, but just pick them again.
-
- Interlocking Pins
-
- Several manufacturers have designed high security locks involving angled
- and interlocking pins. Emhart makes a cylinder using angled cuts on the keys
- where the top and bottom pins actually interlock:
-
-
- +--------------+
- | |
- | Top |
- | Pin |
- | |
- | | Interlocking Pins
- +-----+ +-----+
- +---+ | | +---+
- | | | | | |
- | +-+ | | +-+ |
- | | +-+ +-+ | |
- | | | | | |
- | | +------+ | |
- | +----------+ |
- | |
- | Bottom |
- | Pin |
-
-
- So the pins have to be turned to the correct angle in order for the pins
- to slide apart when you turn the plug. This also means that the cylinder has
- to be grooved to allow for the portion of the top pin sticking down, and the
- bottom of each key has notches in it so that it can turn more than 180 degrees.
-
-
- Tubular Cylinder Locks
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Tubular cylinder locks are widely accepted as the most secure locks you
- can get for a reasonable price. Tubular cylinder locks are the round type
- locks you find on most vending machines, ATMs, and the like. They are
- basically a pin tumbler lock where the pins are arranged on a circular plane.
- The key is a cylinder with cuts around its perimeter. When the key is
- inserted, each pin (whose faces are visible) is pushed in the corresponding
- depth and the plug can be turned.
-
- Picking
-
- Your best bet for picking these locks is to purchase a specially designed
- tubular cylinder pick. While it can be picked with conventional tools, it
- takes forever because you have to pick it three or four times to turn the plug
- the 120 to 180 degrees needed to unlock it. And what's worse is that the
- cylinder locks after each time you pick it -- every one-seventh of a turn! If
- you want to try it, here's how.
-
- If you don't have a tubular cylinder pick you will require a wrench that
- is .062 inches square on its end. Fit this into the groove of the tubular
- cylinder plug. Apply tension in a clockwise direction, then use a straight pin
- to push each pin down until it clicks into place. Proceed to the next pin,
- until all are picked and the plug turns a few degrees. You will have to repeat
- this until it unlocks. Do not leave the locks halfway picked. If you do, even
- the original key will not be able to open the lock until it has been picked
- back into its original position. Good Luck!
-
-
-
- Lock Picking Tools
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
- The Basic Picks
-
-
- |
- _______________________________________|
- tension wrench
-
-
- This is the standard tool for pin and wafer tumbler
- locks. It is inserted in the bottom of the keyway
- to provide a torsional force to the lock cylinder.
-
-
-
-
- ______________________________________/|
- half-diamond pick
-
-
- The half-diamond pick can be used for raking or
- picking wafer tumbler locks, or picking pin tumbler
- locks where the distance between pins is small.
-
-
-
- ---------------------------------\/\/\/\
- rake
-
-
- Not surprisingly, the rake (sometimes called a snake
- pick) is used to rake wafer and pin tumbler locks.
-
-
-
-
- .
- ______________________________________/
- hook
-
-
- The hook (also known as the feeler or lifter pick)
- is normally used for picking pin and lever tumbler
- locks, but can be used on larger wafer locks.
-
-
-
-
- ______________________________________O
- O ball
-
-
- _____________________________________OO
- OO double ball
-
-
- The ball type picks are actually not as pronounced
- as they look here in the ascii diagram. Imagine a
- "ball" of a little less height, a bit more width.
- Though not essential, the ball picks can be used
- when attempting to rake a wafer-tumbler lock.
-
-
-
- Lever Tumbler Tension Wrench
-
- The big difference with a lever tumbler is in the method of applying
- torque. The cylinder, in models where it's visible, rotates freely--it does
- not operate the bolt. Rather, the end of the key goes into a notch in the
- bolt, directly operating it, just as in a warded lock. This means you need a
- different torsion wrench, that looks like this:
-
-
- _______
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |__________________
-
-
-
- Obtaining Lockpicks
-
- Now I'm sure that you are ready to start practicing. Unfortunately,
- locksmiths and the public in general seem reluctant to make picks an easy item
- to obtain. Therefore you can either make your own, (not that difficult) or
- obtain them from a commercial supplier (also not that difficult.)
-
-
- Making Your Own Picks
-
- You can file or grind picks out of spring steel. It is best to use spring
- steel - sources include hacksaw blades, piano (music) wire, clock springs,
- streetsweeper bristles (which can be found along the street after the sweeper
- has passed), etc. Or, go down to the auto parts store and buy a few stock
- lengths of .022 in. automobile feeler gauge. You can cut each one in thirds
- and make a pick from each piece. In a pinch safety pin steel, or even a bobby
- pin (much worse) can be used. Also try the metal band that holds a set of
- walkman type earphones together. It is already the perfect width and all you
- have to do is grind the indentations on it. It makes a really great heavy duty
- wrench also.
-
- You will need an electric grinder, or a grinding wheel mounted on a drill,
- to shape the picks. When grinding, keep the steel from getting so hot as to
- anneal (soften) it. You may have to re-harden or re-temper it.
-
- Temper the steel by repeatedly getting it red-hot against the grinder,
- then quenching it. What you get won't be feeler gauge and it won't be spring
- steel, but something in between that has some give to it and won't shatter.
-
- For a tension wrench, while you're at the grinder, take a medium-sized
- Allen wrench and grind its hexagonal head into a flat blade. Alternatively,
- you can use a small screwdriver, bent at the end. (Bending a screwdriver with
- any precision is pretty tough). Bobby pins also make an alright tension
- wrench, especially the larger ones. They work best if you cut them off and
- flame to red hot with a burner. Then while it's still hot twist it 180 deg
- with a pair of vicegrips or needle nose pliers, and bend down the end so it
- looks like the professional ones, this gives it more 'spring'. The flaming
- should be done, maybe 3/4ths of an inch from the end. Finally file and sand
- rough spots from where you cut it.
-
- If you take the finest or next to finest crochet hook they make and file
- down the sides of the business end of it so it will fit in the lock, you can
- make an excellent feeler pick.
-
-
- Picks from Paper Clips
-
- To open a lock with two paper clips, unbend one like this:
- ____________
- / \ This shape is your lockpick, you
- \__________________________/ put the end with the little hook
- in the lock and use it to fiddle
- with the pins.
-
- Unbend and re-bend the other paperclip like this:
- ____________
- / \ This shape is your torsion
- \______________________ wrench. You use it to put
- | torque on the lock cylinder.
- _| When the hook is in the cylinder
- the handle should hand off to
- the side and the final bend on
- the hook should be short enough
- that there is room to get the
- pick into the keyhole.
-
- Warning: Filing cabinets and desks are pretty easy to do with these, but
- it's not easy to do a door lock with them. Better materials really do help
- when you're dealing with more than 4 pins in a lock.
-
-
-
- Making a Pick Gun
-
- Get yourself a piece of music wire from the local hobby shop. Find wire
- that seems just a bit big for an average keyway. This will be ground down
- later so that it can be inserted. Wire of this diameter is so stiff you may
- doubt that you have the right size. But you need this stiffness for the device
- to work. Don't use wire that is too light.
-
- You want to bend a circle in the wire about 5 inches back from the end.
- You want enough length in the first straight part to go all the way into the
- keyway and leave enough to comfortably fit in your hand. Call this straight
- part Side A. Try bending the wire around the body of a Magic Marker; this
- seems to make a nice sized loop. The loop should be 360 + 180 degrees so that
- the long end of your wire is now parallel to side A. Let's be original and
- call this Side B.
-
- Use pliers to make a 90 degree bend in side B so that the end of it
- crosses side A. This bend should be located so that the part of side A which
- extends past the bent part of the wire is long enough to go all the way into
- the keyway. Hey, why don't we call this cross-piece Side C? Bend this
- cross-piece 180 degrees around side A so that it forms a slot for side A to
- slide up and down in. Call the wire segment which goes from A to B and is
- parallel to C, Side D. Snip off the end of side D which extends beyond side B.
-
- We now have an object which resembles a safety pin (hence the name) which
- has one side (side A) which slides up and down in a slot made by sides C and D
- and which is held in the bottom of this slot by the spring tension in the loop
- between sides A and B.
-
- Grind the sides of the piece which is to go in the keyway so it will fit.
- Grind the top of this piece flat. The Top is the side toward side B. This is
- the part which will be against the tumblers. Bevel the end so it will slide
- under the tumblers more easily.
-
- To use the gun, insert the end into the keyway with side B up. Press down
- on side B with your thumb to slide the slot C-D down. Let your thumb slip off
- the wire and the spring will pull side B back up. When the bottom of the C-D
- channel hits the bottom of side A, it delivers a sharp blow to the bottoms of
- the pins. Use VERY light pressure on the tension wrench and snap the gun a few
- times to knock the pins up to the shear line. See the section on wafer locks
- for a more information.
-
-
- Electric Vibration Picks
-
- The motor/base casing from a electric toothbrush, or vibrator makes a
- decent vibrator pick (pick gun) when you superglue a straight pick to it. Alot
- cheaper than the pro models, and generally smaller too.
-
-
- Purchasing Your Picks
-
- Generally picks are not sold over the counter. Your best bet is to order
- them from a mail order firm. Most firms will inquire as to your profession
- when making a purchase. They may not wish to sell them to you unless you are
- some sort of pubic safety personnel such as an EMT or a fireman. They are
- available from a variety of sources. Here are some of the most popular:
-
- ----------
-
- Gall's Inc.
- (800)-477-7766
- Catalog #BA
-
- ----------
-
- Item # : ALS15B
- Price : $19.99
- Name : 10-Piece Locksmith Pick Set
-
- "Be prepared for any lock-out. Nine picks and wrenches are grouped in a handy
- foldover carrying case that is small enough to carry in your pocket. Order you
- lock pick set and keep it handy for easy entry to any lock-out situation.
- Black."
-
-
- Item # : PG1B
- Price : $59.99
- Name : Lock Pick Gun
-
- "Our trigger action lock pick gun opens doors easily. Just use it with the
- included picks and instructions -- with a little practice, you can smoothly
- open any locked house or apartment."
-
- ----------
-
- Delta Press Ltd.
- (800)-852-4445
-
- ----------
-
- Item # : LPS-002
- Price : $24.95
- Name : The 8 Piece Tool Set
-
- "These high quality picks feature new lighter non-breakable plastic color coded
- handles. Picks are of .022 blue spring steel - hardened to perfection Eight
- piece set comes with handy see-through case."
-
-
- Item # : LPS-003
- Price : $39.95
- Name : The 11 Piece Tool Set
-
- "This deluxe 11 piece kit features all metal handles and comes in a discrete
- carrying case for undercover operatives. All picks are .022 blue spring steel
- and hardened to perfection."
-
-
- Item # : LPS-005
- Price : $119.95
- Name : The 60 Piece Tool Set
-
- "Here it is. The finest lockpick set we've stocked. It includes 60 picks,
- tension wrenches, and a broken key extractor plus a zippered top grain cowhide
- case and warded master keys."
-
-
- Item # : LPS-004
- Price : $59.95
- Name : Professional Locksmithing Tool
-
- "The famous lockaid Tool was designed for law enforcement agencies to quickly
- pick pin tumbler locks. The american-made product is the only superior "lock
- gun" available. Unlike conventional hand picks that activate only one or two
- cylinder pins, this tool is designed to span all the pins at once. The needle,
- powered by trigger action, strikes all t the cylinder bottom pins
- simultaneously. As the force is transferred to the upper pins, they
- momentarily rise in the chambers. Comes complete with 3 stainless steel
- needles and tension wrench."
-
- ----------
-
- Phoenix Systems Inc.
- (303)-277-0305
-
- ----------
-
- "OUR LOCK PICKS ARE THE FINEST QUALITY PROFESSIONAL TOOLS AVAILABLE. Each pick
- is made of hard-finished clock-spring steel, tempered to the correct degree of
- hardness. Whether the subject is wafer tumbler locks or 6 & 7 pin tumbler
- locks, our picks are the best available, and the standard of the industry.
- With a few minutes of practice, even a beginner can open most padlocks, door
- locks and deadbolts. NOTE: BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR LOCAL, AND STATE ORDINANCES
- GOVERNING POSSESSION OF THESE TOOLS."
-
- Item # : 604
- Price : $75.00
- Name : Superior Pick Set
-
- "Hip pocket size in top grain leather case. Our most complete set. 32 picks,
- tension tools & extractors."
-
-
- Item # : 606
- Price : $34.95
- Name : Tyro Pick Set.
-
- "An excellent choice for the beginner. Cowhide leather case contains 9 picks,
- tension wrenches & key extractor."
-
-
- Item # : 607
- Price : 9.95
- Name : Warded Padlock Pick Set
-
- "This 5 piece padlock pick set is made of the finest blue tempered spring
- steel. This set will pick open most every warded padlock made today."
-
-
- Item # : 610
- Price : $24.95
- Name : Double Sided Tumbler Lock Picks
-
- "Set of 4 picks for use with double-sided, disc tumbler, showcase, cam and
- PADLOCKS. An excellent addition to your other pick sets."
-
-
- Item # : 617
- Price : $39.95
- Name : Padlock Shim Picks
-
- "Open padlocks in seconds! Our new Padlock Shim pick's unique design makes
- them so successful that it is frightening! Simply slide the shim down between
- the shackle and the lock housing, twist and the lock is open. Works best on
- laminated type padlocks (the most popular type) but will open ALMOST ANY TYPE
- OF PADLOCK -- INCLUDING THE POPULAR 3 NUMBER COMBINATION TYPE. Include 20
- shims -- 5 each of the 4 most common shackle diameters for perfect fit every
- time. Comes with complete instructions."
-
-
- Item # : 618
- Price : $34.95
- Name : Schlage Wafer Pick Set
-
- "There are two types of Schlage wafer locks, each needing a different base key
- to pick with. This set comes with both types of base keys and the pick. With
- the proper base key the lock is already half picked. Very quick and easy to
- use. Comes with complete instructions.
-
-
- Item # : 620
- Price : $59.95
- Name : Pick Gun
-
- "Picks locks FAST. Open locks in less than 5 seconds. Specifically designed
- for tumbler locks. Insert pick into key slot, then just pull trigger. Throws
- all pins into position at one time. Lock is then turned with tension bar.
- Used extensively by police and other government agencies. Gun is spring
- loaded, with tension adjustment knob. Comes with 3 needle picks and tension
- bar. No batteries necessary. Life-time guarantee.
-
-
- Item # : 612
- Price : $16.00
- Name : The Slim Jim
-
- "Car door opener. The tool does not enter inside the car. Opens a car door by
- "feel" rather then sight. With a little practice, car opening will be no
- problem. For GM, Ford and Chrysler cars. Made of clock-spring steel and is
- hand finished."
-
-
- Item # : 613
- Price : $16.00
- Name : The Super Jim
-
- "This tool will open most GM, Ford and AMC car doors. Opener does not enter
- vehicle. Made wider and thicker, and is bright nickel plated. Faster openings
- on most domestic automobiles. With illustrated instructions."
-
- Item # : 614
- Price : $19.95
- Name : Houdini Car Door Opener
-
- "The latest and best innovations on car door openers. It works the same as
- your old Slim Jim, except it now folds neatly to fit in pocket or toolbox
- without getting in the way. ONLY 6 1/2 INCHES LONG WHEN FOLDED. Open up and
- snaps into place like a fold-up ruler, excellent stainless steel constructions
- with vinyl handle for comfort."
-
-
- Item # : 615
- Price : $39.95
- Name : Pro-Lok "Car Killer" Kit
-
- "Over the years we have had thousands of requests for a multi-vehicle opening
- kit. We are now able to offer the most complete kit that we have ever seen.
- This kit of tools will open over 135 automobiles, both domestic and foreign, on
- the road today. The opening procedure for each vehicle is diagrammed and
- explained in the instruction manual. Kit comes with complete instruction
- manual and gas cap pick tool."
-
-
- Item # : 600
- Price : $129.95
- Name : Tubular Lock Pick
-
- "This tool is an easy and reliable method for picking tubular locks, as found
- on commercial vending machines, washers, dryers, etc. This newest high tech
- design is much faster and easier to use than the old type that used rubber
- bands to hold the feeler picks. Internal neoprene "O" rings together with
- knurled collar provide a very simple and easy tension adjustment. Sturdy
- stainless steel construction provides for long-lasting service. This tool
- will, with a little practice, easily and quickly open any regular center-spaced
- tubular lock -- the most popular type of tubular lock on the market. Comes
- with complete instructions and leather carrying case."
-
-
- Tips for Success
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Following is information that will help you become more adept at
- manipulating locks. Solutions to common problems and general miscellaneous
- information that could prove useful is included.
-
- Determining the Direction of Rotation
-
- Before you can pick a tumbler type lock, you must determine the correct
- direction of rotation. It may sound like a trivial point, but who wants to
- waste hours trying to pick a lock the wrong direction. Though there will of
- course be exceptions, there are some general guidelines. Cylindrical locks,
- padlocks, file cabinet locks almost always turn in a clockwise direction or
- either direction to open. When confronted with a door lock, turn the plug so
- that the top of the keyhole turns toward the edge of the door. There is a
- notable exception here, Corbin and Russwin locks turn AWAY from the door edge.
-
-
- Tight or Dirty Locks
-
- If a lock seems exceptionally tight or dirty, it will be hard to break the
- pins. It may help to lubricate the lock. NEVER use a liquid type lubrication
- such as WD40, 3-in-1 oil, etc... Use powdered graphite, available in most
- hardware stores. It comes in a little tube, allowing a light squeeze to blow a
- puff of graphite into the keyway. If lubrication does not help, you may need
- to apply a little firmer hand on the tension wrench.
-
-
- Proper Attitude
-
- It is very important to maintain a confident attitude while you are
- learning to pick locks. If you feel nervous or stressed, it will only
- make things harder. You will not be able to pick every lock you come to,
- but with practice and patience, you may be surprised. Visualise what is
- happening inside the lock, this is the key. If you don't fully
- understand how a lock works and exactly what you are doing to it, you will
- not experience a high degree of success.
-
-
-
- Combination Locks
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Combination locks work on a series of flat, round disks that have notches
- and pegs (one of each, one set per disk) along their circumference. Notches
- are referred to as "gates". The first tumbler determines the last digit of the
- combination, and is actually attached to the dial directly. As the dial is
- turned, the peg of the first tumbler catches on the middle tumbler's peg,
- dragging it along. As the dial is turned further, the middle tumbler latches
- on to the peg of the last tumbler, all three turning together. Turning all the
- tumblers is known as "clearing" the lock, and must be done before attempting to
- operate the lock. For the lock to open, the gate on each disk must align up
- with the pawl (breaking arm) of the bolt.
-
- Dialing the first digit of the combination aligns the last tumbler's gate
- to the pawl. Before dialing the second digit, the dial must be turned one
- complete turn in the opposite direction (assuming a three tumbler lock, twice
- for a four digit one). Rotating in the original direction to the last digit
- will align the first tumbler's gate, and the lock can open. Modern safe
- combination locks are impossible to crack (literally). Many innovations have
- given high quality locks this degree of security. Burglars learned to feel the
- gates and pegs rotate about the lock, allowing them to manipulate the tumblers
- into their proper position. To combat this, a searted front tumbler was
- designed to create shallow "false gates". The false gates are difficult to
- distinguish from the actual gates. To combat this problem, safe crackers would
- hook up a high speed drill to the dial. This would wear the tumblers edges
- smooth, eliminating the bothersome shallow gates. Still, despite their
- security, cheap combination locks are far from foolproof.
-
- Determining an Unknown Combination
-
- The most common and difficult to open of these small disk tumbler locks
- are the Master combination padlocks, and they are quite popular. With
- practice, they CAN be opened. The newer the lock is, though, the more
- difficult it will be to open at first. If the lock has had a lot of use, such
- as that on a locker-room door where the shackle gets pulled down and encounters
- the tumblers while the combination is being dialed, the serrated front tumblers
- will become smoothed down, allowing easier sensing of the tumblers. So, until
- you have become good at opening these locks, practice extensively on an old
- one. Here's how.
-
- Step One
-
- First, clear the tumblers by engaging all of them. This is done by
- turning the dial clockwise (sometimes these locks open more easily starting in
- the opposite direction) three to four times. Now bring your ear close to the
- lock and gently press the bottom back edge to the bony area just forward of
- your ear canal opening so that vibrations can be heard and felt. Slowly turn
- the dial in the opposite direction. As you turn, you will hear a very light
- click as each tumbler is picked up by the previous tumbler. This is the sound
- of the pickup pegs on each disk as they engage each other. Clear the tumblers
- again in a clockwise manner and proceed to step two.
-
- Step Two
-
- After you have cleared the tumblers, apply an upward pressure on the
- shackle of the padlock. Keeping your ear on the lock, try to hear the tumblers
- as they rub across the pawl; keep the dial rotating in a clockwise direction.
-
- You will hear two types of clicks, each with a subtle difference in pitch.
- The shallow, higher pitched clicks are the sound of the false gates on the
- first disk tumbler. Do not let them fool you-the real gates sound hollow and
- empty, almost nonexistent.
-
- When you feel a greater than normal relief in the shackle once every full
- turn, this is the gate of the first tumbler (last number dialed). This tumbler
- is connected directly to the dial as mentioned earlier. Ignore that sound for
- now. When you have aligned the other two tumblers, the last tumbler's sound
- will be drowned out by the sound of the shackle popping open.
-
- Step Three
-
- While continuing in a clockwise direction with the dial, listen carefully
- for the slight hollow sound of either one of the first two tumblers. Note on
- the dial face where these sounds are by either memorizing them or writing them
- down. Make certain that you do not take note of the driving tumbler (last
- number dialed). If you hear and feel only one hollow click (sounds like
- "dumpf"), chances are that the first number could be the same as the last one.
-
- You should have two numbers now. Let us say one of them is 12 and the
- other is 26. Clear the tumblers again just to be safe and stop at the number
- 12. Go counterclockwise one complete turn from 12. Continue until there is
- another "dumpf" sound. After the complete turn pass 12, if you feel and hear a
- louder than normal sound of a tumbler rubbing on the pawl, the first tumbler is
- properly aligned and the second tumbler is taking the brunt of the force from
- the shackle-you are on the right track. When the second tumbler has aligned in
- this case, you will feel a definite resistance with the last turn of the dial
- going clockwise. The final turn will automatically open the shackle of the
- lock. If none of these symptoms are evident, try starting with the number of
- the combination, 26, in the same way.
-
- Step Four
-
- If the lock still does not open, don't give up. Try searching for a
- different first number. Give it a good thirty or forty minute try. If you
- play with it long enough, it will eventually open. The more practice you have
- under your belt, the quicker you will be able to open these padlocks in the
- future.
-
- Using a stethoscope to increase audibility of the clicks is not out of the
- question when working on disk tumbler locks, though usually not needed for
- padlocks. A miniature wide-audio-range electronic stethoscope with a magnetic
- base for coupling a piezoelectric-type microphone is ideal for getting to know
- the tumblers better.
-
- Sesame Locks
-
- Another type of disk tumbler padlock is the Sesame lock made by the Corbin
- Lock Co. Its unique design makes it more difficult to open than Master
- padlocks, but it can be opened. Let's take one of the three or four wheel
- mechanisms, look at a cross section, and see how it works. The wheel has
- numbers from zero to nine. Attached to the wheel is a small cam. Both the
- wheel and cam turn on the shaft. Each wheel in this lock operates indepen-
- dently with its own cam and shaft. The locking dog is locked to the shackle.
- In this position the shackle cannot be opened. The locking dog operates with
- all three or four wheels. The locking dog is riding on the round edge of the
- cam. The spring is pushing up on the cam. The locking dog cannot move up
- because it is resting on the round part of the cam. When the wheel is turned
- to the proper combination number, the locking dog rests on the flat of the cam.
- The spring can then raise the locking dog to release the shackle, and this
- opens the lock.
-
-
-
- Magnetic Locks
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Magnetic locks are a recent innovation to the security world. Their basic
- operation involves the principle that like poles of a magnetic repel each
- other, while opposite poles repel. A magnetic lock then does not have pins,
- but magnets (which are often behind a plastic "roof" on the keyway). When all
- these magnets are in the "repelled" position, meaning a similar magnetic pole
- is below them, a lever arm releases the lock. A key then would have a magnet
- arrangement identical to that of the lock. These locks may be activated either
- by a flat, notchless key, or by use of a magnetic card, where in the lock
- actually uses a two dimensional arrangement of magnets. These are not too
- common, but can be found in some installations.
-
- Opening Magnetic Locks
-
- By using a pulsating electromagnetic field, you can cause the magnets in
- the lock to vibrate at thirty vibrations per second, thereby allowing it to
- open by applying constant tension to the bolt. You should be able to purchase
- one of these "picks" from a locksmith supply company. Unfortunately, this
- method usually ruins the properties of the lock's magnets, so use it in
- emergencies only. The magnetic pick can be used in padlocks by stroking it
- across the place where the key is placed. It is also designed to fit into a
- doorknob and is then used by stroking one pole in and out.
-
-
-
- Simplex 5-button combination locks
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- (*Hobbit*'s in-depth evaluation)
-
- This deals with the Simplex or Unican 5-button all-mechanical combination
- locks. They are usually used in a variety of secure but high-traffic
- applications, and come in a number of flavors: dead bolt, slam latch, lock
- switches for alarms, buttons in a circle or a vertical line, etc. The internal
- locking works are the same across all of these. Herein will be described the
- mechanical workings and a method of defeating the lock that falls out by
- logical inference and observations from playing with it.
-
- The internals
-
- Caveat: If this seems unclear at first, it is because the absolutely best
- way to understand the inner mysteries is to take a Simplex lock apart and study
- it. It is highly recommended that the reader obtain and disassemble one of the
- units while studying this; otherwise the following may be confusing. The
- locking mechanism box is swaged together at each end, but it is trivial to open
- up without destroying it. To set a lock up for study, remove the back, leaving
- the front plate held on by its Jesus clip. Put a spare thumb turn down over
- the shaft so you have something to grab. Take care not to lose the button
- connecting pins; they drop out.
-
- In the round configuration, the buttons talk via bent bars in the
- faceplate to the same vertical column as the straight ones. Thus all buttons
- henceforth shall be referred to as if they were in a straight vertical row,
- numbered 1 to 5 reading downward. The actual locking mechanism inside is a
- small metal box, about 3 inches high and .75 x .75 inch across the base. It
- contains five tumblers, one corresponding to each button, a common shift bar,
- and a couple of cams to handle reset and unlocking. The user dials the
- combination and turns the handle to the right to open the lock, or to the left
- to reset any dialed digits if he made a typo. If the proper combination has
- not been dialed yet, the shaft will not turn to the right. Setting a
- combination shall be described later. Some of the linear-style locks are
- actually made by Unican, but have the Simplex box inside. For these, a
- clockwise twist serves as both open and reset. There is a detent plate and a
- screwy lever system; if the lock is not open yet, the lever cannot turn to the
- *box*'s right. The detent slips, allows the levers to shift the other way, and
- the box arm is then turned to the left. If the detent does not slip, it's
- open, and the plate locks to the latch shaft and pulls it back.
-
- Each of the five tumblers has six possible positions. Each button does
- nothing but push its corresponding tumbler from the 0 position to the 1
- position. Therefore, each button can only be used once, since once the tumbler
- has moved, the button has no further effect. The trick comes when *subsequent*
- buttons are pushed. Each button press not only shoves its tumbler from 0 to 1,
- it also advances any "enabled" tumblers one more step. When a tumbler is
- enabled, its corresponding gear has engaged the common bar and pushed it around
- one position, so the next button press will do this again, thus taking
- previously enabled tumblers around one more notch. This way, the further-in
- tumbler positions can be reached. It can be seen that there are undialable
- combinations; for instance, only *one* tumbler can reach position 5 for a valid
- combination [Positions labeled 0 thru 5, totalling six]. If one sits down and
- figures out possible places for the tumblers to go, many combinations are
- eliminated right away, so the number of possibilities is *not* 6^5 as one might
- expect. Two-at-once pushes are also valid, and are *not* the same as pushing
- the given two in some other order. Pushing two [or three or ...] at once
- simply enables two tumblers at once and shoves them to position 1 at the same
- time. [This of course leaves less buttons unused to push them in farther!] The
- tumblers themselves are small round chunks of metal, with gear teeth around the
- top half and a notch cut into the bottom edge. When all these notches line up
- with the locking bar, the lock is open. The tumblers are mounted on a vertical
- shaft so they can spin, with the locking bar fingers resting against the bottom
- of each one. The locking bar is prevented from rising if any notch is turned
- away from it. Juxtaposed to the tumblers is another shaft containing idler
- gears, which in turn talk to the common bar in the back. The intermediate
- shaft slides up and down and makes combination changes possible. Note: The
- buttons actually talk to the idler gears and not the tumblers themselves. This
- is necessary since during a combo change, the tumblers cannot move because the
- locking bar teeth are sitting in the notches.
-
- [Editor's note: Simplex locks are set at the factory with a default code of
- (2-4), 3. This is often not even changed.]
-
- Combination change, other random facts
-
- Once you know the current combination, you might want to change it.
- Instructions for doing this undoubtedly come with the lock; but it's real easy.
- There is a screw in the top with a hex hole; remove this from the lock body.
- Dial the proper combination, but don't move the handle. Press straight down
- through the hole with a small screwdriver, until you feel something go "thunk"
- downward. The lock is now in change mode. Reset the tumblers [leftward
- twist], enter your new combination, twist the handle as though opening the
- lock, and your change is now in effect. Re-insert the screw. This does the
- following: The thing you hit with the screwdriver pushes the tumblers down onto
- the locking bar [which is why the proper combination must be entered], and
- disengages them from their idler gears. Button presses turn the *idler*
- *gears* around, and then the opening action shoves the tumblers back up to mesh
- with these gears in their new positions. A subsequent reset mixes the tumblers
- up again to follow the new combination. This description is admittedly
- somewhat inadequate; the right thing to do is take one of the locks apart and
- see for one's self what exactly happens inside.
-
- The Unican model has a disk-locked screw on the rear side. Removing this
- reveals a round piece with a flat side. Twist this clockwise to enable change
- mode as in the above. This lock, of course, would be a little more secure
- against random people changing the combination for fun since you ostensibly
- need a key to get at it. Keep in mind that "reset" on these is done by turning
- the knob all the way *clockwise* instead. There is a linkage that ensures that
- the shaft inside goes counterclockwise for the time that change mode is
- enabled.
-
- It is amusing to hear local locksmiths call the Simplex internals a
- "computer". It would seem that none of them have taken one apart to see what
- is really inside; the box is painted black as far as they are concerned and
- non-openable. Obtaining one is the unquestionably best way to learn what's in
- there. Unfortunately they cost on the order of $120, a price which clearly
- takes advantage of the public's ignorance. These locks are *not* pick-proof
- after all, and anyone who maintains that they are is defrauding the customer.
- There are a variety of ways to increase the picking difficulty, to be discussed
- elsewhere. Your best bet is to borrow one from somewhere for an evening and
- spend the time learning its innards.
-
- Determining an unknown combination
-
- Contrary to what the marketing reps would have you believe, the locks can
- be opened fairly quickly without knowing the set combination and without
- damaging the lock. Through a blend of a soft touch, a little hard logic, and
- an implicit understanding of how the locking mechanism works, they generally
- yield within five minutes or so. [There are *always* exceptions...]
-
- This method requires that one does not think in terms of a sequence of
- button presses. One must think in terms of tumbler positions, and simply use
- the buttons to place tumblers where desired. For practical description
- purposes, it will be assumed that the buttons connect right to the tumblers,
- rather than the idler gears that they really do. The idler gears are a
- necessary part only during combination changes. Unless you are doing a change,
- considering it this way is pretty close to the facts. Remember that a 0
- position means the button was never pushed, and 5 is enabled and shifted as far
- as possible.
-
- Turning the thumb handle to the right [clockwise] raises the locking bar
- against the tumblers. Since the lock is never machined perfectly, one or more
- tumblers will have more pressure on it than other ones, and this shows up as
- friction against it when it is turned via the button. This friction is felt in
- the short distance between fully-extended and the detent on the button [the
- first 2 or 3 mm of travel]. Some will travel easily to the detent, and others
- will resist efforts to push them in. Suppose you are twisting the handle, and
- tumbler 1 has lots of pressure on it [you can feel this when you try to push
- button 1 in]. When you back off the tension on the handle a little bit, the
- button can be pushed in against the resistance. The fact that the button has
- resistance at position 0 tells you that tumbler 1's proper position is *not* 0,
- or there would be no pressure if the notch was there! Upon pushing button 1
- in, you find that no pressure has appeared at any other button. This
- eliminates position 1 for tumbler 1, also. Now, how do you get tumbler 1 to
- different positions so you can test for pressure against other ones? Push
- subsequent buttons. Push any other button, and tumbler 1 advances to position
- 2. Ignore what the other tumblers are doing for the moment. Now, perhaps
- another button has some resistance now. This means that tumbler 1 is either at
- the right position, or getting close. Basically you are using other tumblers
- to find out things about the one in question. [Keep in mind that the first one
- with friction won't *always* be tumbler 1! Any tumbler[s] could have the first
- pressure on them.] Continuing, push another "don't care" button. A "don't
- care" button is one that is not the one you're trying to evaluate, and not the
- one that recently showed some friction. What you want to do is advance tumbler
- 1 again without disturbing anything else. Did the pressure against your test
- tumbler get stronger, or disappear? If it got stronger, that points to an even
- higher probability that tumbler 1 is supposed to be at 3, rather than 2. If
- the pressure vanished or became less, 1 has gone too far, and you were safer
- with it at position 2. Let's assume that the pressure against your test
- tumbler increased slightly when tumbler 1 was at 2, increased even more when
- tumbler 1 was at 3 and vanished when you pushed it onward to 4. Reset the
- lock. You now know the proper position of tumbler 1 [that is, whatever tumbler
- first had pressure on it]. You've already drastically reduced the number of
- possible combinations, but you aren't finished yet.
-
- You can now eliminate positions for the next one or two tumblers the same
- way -- but to set things up so you can feel the pressure against these, you
- must ensure that your newly-known tumbler [1 in this case] is in its proper
- position. It is useful to make a little chart of the tumbler positions, and
- indicate the probabilities of correct positions.
-
- Positions
-
- 0 1 2 3 4 5
- ----------------
- 1 : L L + T L | <-- Indicates that tumbler 1 is not
- 0, not 1, maybe 2, more likely 3.
- Tumbler 2 : | | | | | |
- number
- 3 : | | | | | |
-
- 4 : L | | | | | <-- Indicates that tumbler 4 is not 0.
-
- 5 : | | | | | |
-
- This chart is simply a bunch of little vertical lines that you have drawn
- in a 5x6 matrix; the topmost row corresponds to button 1 and the lowest to 5.
- Mark the probabilities as little hash marks at the appropriate height. The
- leftmost bar indicates position 0, rightmost 5; a high mark on the left side
- indicates that the tumbler is 0, or is never used. The relative heights of
- your tick marks indicate the likelihood of the notch on the respective tumbler
- being there. If you don't know about a position, don't mark it yet. This
- chart serves as a useful mnemonic while learning this trick; as you gain
- experience you probably won't need it anymore if you can remember tumbler
- positions.
-
- A tumbler at the 0 position is already lined up before any buttons are
- pressed. This will feel like a lot of loose play with a little bit of pressure
- at the end of the travel, just before the enable detent. Be aware of this;
- often enough the first button with pressure can be a 0, and if you aren't
- watching for 0 positions you can easily assume it's a don't care, push it, and
- screw your chances of feeling others. Make sure your "don't care" test buttons
- aren't supposed to be at 0 either. It's a good idea to run through and try to
- find all the zeros first thing.
-
- Let us continue from the above. You have found that tumbler 1 is most
- likely to bet at position 3, with a slim chance of position 2. This is marked
- in the above chart. The reason this can happen is that the tops of the locking
- bar teeth are slightly rounded. When the tumbler is one away from its opening
- position, the locking bar can actually rise higher, since the notch is halfway
- over it already. So don't assume that the first increase in pressure on other
- buttons is the right position for the one you're finding out about. Let's
- assume that the next pressure showed up on button 4. You can feel this when
- tumbler 1 is at position 3; to get tumbler 1 out there, let's say you used the
- sequence 1,2,3. 2 and 3 were your "don't care" buttons used only to push 1
- around. Therefore now, tumbler 1 is at position 3, 2 is at 2, and 3 is at 1.
- 5 and 4 are at 0, and can therefore be felt for pressure.
-
- The next step is to find the proper position for the next button with
- pressure against its tumbler. Many times you'll get more than one that exhibit
- pressure at the same time. Figure out which button has more pressure on it now
- with your first tumbler in the right position. In this example, only 4
- applies. You now want to advance tumbler 4 to different places, *while*
- keeping 1 at its proper place. 1 must always advance to 3 to free the locking
- bar enough to press on other tumblers. To place tumbler 1 at position 3 and 4
- at position 1, you would do something like 1,2,4 and check 3 and 5. To place
- tumbler 1 at position 3 and 4 at 2, you would do something like 1,4,2. To
- place 1 at 3 and 4 at 3, you have to press 1 and 4 at the same time, and then
- advance that mess by two positions. If you use 2 and 3 for this, the notation
- is (14),2,3, which means 1-with-4, then 2, then 3. You can also do 4,1,2,5 to
- put 4 at 4 and check 3. If all these tests fail, that is, no pressure appears
- at any other button, you can start assuming that 4 is supposed to be way out
- there at position 5. For the example, let's say you did 1,4,2 and pressure
- showed up on button 3. To double-check this, you did (14),2,5, and the
- pressure on 3 went away. So tumbler 4 must have gone too far that time. Place
- a fairly high tick mark on the chart at tumbler 4, position 2 to indicate the
- probability.
-
- Note: A better way to do that last test, to avoid ambiguity, is to do
- 1,(42),5 and check 3, then do (14),2,5 and check 3. This ensures that the only
- change you have made is to move tumbler 4 from 2 to 3 an avoids the possibility
- of movement of tumbler 2 giving bogus results. Through the entire process, you
- want to try to change one thing at a time at every point. Sometimes one of
- this sort of possible test setup won't tell you anything and you have to try
- another one [in this case, perhaps 1,(45),2 and then (14),5,2 while checking 3.
- This has simply swapped the positions of 2 and 5 during your testing].
-
- You now know two tumbler positions, with a high degree of confidence, and
- have further reduced the possible combinations. From here, you could mix
- tumblers 2,3 and 5 into the sequence with various permutations, as long as you
- place 1 and 4 correctly every time. This would still take some time and brain
- work ... let's try to find out something about some other buttons. Place 1
- and 4 where they're supposed to go ... the sequence 1,4,2 will do it, and see
- what's up with the other buttons. 1,4,3 will leave 2 and 5 available. You
- find eventually that 2 and 3 have the next bit of pressure distributed between
- them [and are nonzero], and 5 feels like a 0, as described above. To confirm
- this, advance 5 along with some other button and check 3. Bingo: There is no
- pressure on 2 when 5 is enabled [and you have not changed anything else besides
- 5's position], so you can firmly decide that 5 is 0 after all. So leave it
- there. [You did this by advancing 1 to 3 and 4 to 2, as usual, so you can feel
- 2's pressure in the first place.]
-
- By now you should know the proper positions of three of the tumblers, and
- have eliminated any other zeros by feeling their initial pressure. Now, since
- 2 and 3 have the next pressure on them, try and find out more about them. You
- know they aren't zero; suppose we try 1? To do this you must get one of them
- to 1, 1 to 3 as usual, 4 to 2, and leave 5 alone. How? Use hitherto unknown
- buttons as dummies to position the tumblers right. For instance, the sequence
- 1,4,3 will do what you want here; you then check pressure on 2. Or 1,4,2 and
- check 3. Here you may notice that the pressure on the leftover is a *little*
- stronger than before, but not enough to make any sure judgement. Well, now you
- want to advance an unknown to position 2 - but you suddenly notice that if you
- do [by doing something like 1,(42),3] there are no free buttons left to test
- for pressure! 'Tis time to try possibilities. Your only unknowns are 2 and 3
- now. You must now advance 1 and 4 to their proper positions, leaving 5 alone,
- while sprinkling the unknowns around in the sequence in different permutations.
- Use your chart to remember where the known tumblers must go. Sometimes you get
- two possibilities for a tumbler; you must work this into the permutations also.
- In this particular example, you know that either 2 or 3 [or both!] must be the
- last button[s] pressed, since *something* has to get pressed after 4 to advance
- 4 to position 2. An obvious thing to try is putting both the unknowns at
- position 1 by doing 1,4,(23). Try the handle to see if it's open. No? Okay,
- now leave one of the unknowns down at 1 and mix the other one around. For
- instance, for 2 at 1 and 3 at 2, you do 1,(34),2 -- nope. Advance 3 one more;
- (13),4,2 *click* -- huh?? Oh, hey, it's *open*!!
-
- Well, when you are quite through dancing around the room, you should know that
- your further possibilities here ran as follows:
-
- 3,1,4,2 ; to end the permutations with 2 at 1
- 1,(24),3 ; and permutations involving 3 at 1.
- (12),4,3
- 2,1,4,3
-
- One may see how things like 2,1,(34),x are eliminated by the fact that 1
- must get to 3, and 5 must stay still. Since only 4 buttons could be used, no
- tumbler can get to position 5 in this particular combination. Note also that
- the farther *in* a tumbler has to go, the earlier its button was pressed.
-
- If all this seems confusing at first, go over it carefully and try to
- visualize what is happening inside the box and how you can feel that through
- the buttons. It is not very likely that you can set up your lock exactly as
- the example, since they are all slightly different. Substitute your first-
- pressure button for the 1 in this example. You may even have one that exhibits
- pressure against two or more tumblers initially. Just apply the
- differential-pressure idea the same way to find their most likely positions.
- The example is just that, to demonstrate how the method works. To really
- understand it, you'll have to set your lock up with some kind of combination,
- and apply the method to opening it while watching the works. Do this a few
- times until you understand what's going on in there, and then you'll be able to
- do it with the lock assembled, and then in your sleep, and then by just waving
- your hands and mumbling....
-
- A 5-press combination makes life a little tougher, in that you lose
- versatility in your freedom of test positions, especially if your first-
- pressure tumbler is at position 5. Here you can use the "almost" feature to
- your advantage, and advance the errant tumbler to one before its proper spot,
- and hope to see increased pressure on other tumblers. When a tumbler is one
- away from right, the locking bar tab is hanging a large section of itself into
- the tumbler notch, and the tab's top is slightly rounded. So it can rise a
- little higher than before. If you twist the handle fairly hard, you can
- distort the locking bar slightly and make it rise higher [but don't twist it
- hard enough to break away the safety clutch in the shaft!] The chances of
- someone setting this sort of combination without prior knowledge about the
- *specific* lock are almost nonexistent.
-
- As if that wasn't enough, the next thing to deal with is the so-called
- "high-security" combinations involving half-pushes of buttons. The long
- initial travel of the tumbler permits this. If you look at your open mechanism
- and slowly push in a button, you'll see that the tumbler actually travels *two*
- positions before landing in the detent, and further motion is over one position
- per press. There is no inherently higher security in this kind of combination;
- it's just a trick used against the average person who wouldn't think of holding
- a button down while twisting the latch release. It's quite possible to defeat
- these also. When you are testing for pressure against a tumbler set at
- "one-half", you'll feel a kind of "drop-off" in which there is pressure
- initially, and then it disappears just before the detent. Before testing
- further buttons, you'll have to "half-enable" the appropriate "one-half"
- tumblers so the locking bar can rise past them. Set your lock up with a couple
- of combinations of this type and see how it works. Note that you must hold
- down the "half" buttons just before the detent click while setting or opening.
- This makes an effective 7 positions for each tumbler, but in a standard [no
- "halfs"] setup, it's effectively 6. This is Simplex's "high-security" trick
- that they normally only tell their high-dollar military customers about. After
- working the lock over for a while, it's intuitively obvious.
-
- The Unican type has no direct pressure direction of twist; if you turn too
- far to the right you only reset the tumblers. What you must do is hold the
- knob against the detent release just tight enough to press the locking bar
- against the tumblers inside the box but not hard enough to slip the detent.
- There is a fairly large torque margin to work with, so this is not difficult to
- do. Unicans do not twist to the left at all, so ignore that direction and work
- clockwise only.
-
- Possible fixes
-
- The obvious things improvements to make are to cut notches of some kind
- into the locking bar teeth and the tumblers, so that the pressure can't be as
- easily felt. Another way might be to have a slip joint on the locking bar that
- would release before a certain amount of pressure was developed against it, and
- thus never let the tumblers have enough pressure against them to feel. The
- future may see an improved design from Simplex, but the likelihood does not
- seem high. They did not seem interested in addressing the "problem".
-
-
- Automotive Protection Systems
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- There are several types of locking devices found on cars today. Standard
- window locks, exterior locks, ignition locks, and the famous third party "club"
- type steering wheel locks.
-
- Wing or vent windows have several types of locking devices. The most
- common is simply a lever that turns to prevent the window from opening.
- Another type of wing window lock has a lever latch equipped with a plunger at
- the pivot of the latch. The plunger deadlocks the latch against rotation,
- unless the plunger is first pushed in and held until the initial stage of
- rotation has been accomplished. Naturally, these are a bit more secure.
-
- The most popular auto locks for the exterior and ignition are a derivative
- of the wafer tumbler locks called the "side-bar wafer lock." Side-bar wafer
- locks offer more protection then either the wafer tumbler or pin tumbler (of
- course they cost more.) When all of the tumblers have aligned to their breaking
- points, a spring-loaded bar falls into place, allowing the cylinder to turn.
- Ford auto locks are an exception, as they have pin tumbler locks.
-
- Club Type Locks
-
- One of the "club" type auto locks is an extensible bar that has opposing
- hooks that nominally wedge between spokes on the steering wheel. The bar
- itself is notched at 1" intervals or so. The key on these is rather
- impressive; it's a brass tube with at least three sets of chamfers drilled into
- their sides.
-
- Defeating Club Type Locks
-
- The weak part of these locks is not the keyway; it's the extensible bar.
- The notches provide built-in weak spots. The lock can be forced in about three
- seconds. Do as follows (it helps to be relatively strong):
-
- 1) Put on weightlifting gloves.
-
- 2) slide driver's seat all the way back.
-
- 3) tilt driver's seat all the way down.
-
- 4) tilt steering wheel all the way down.
-
- 5) put your feet on ends of "club" (past the rim of the steering wheel)
-
- 6) grasp center of the notched extension bar. Don't interlace fingers,
- just grab with your dominant hand and then grab over that hand in the other
- direction with the other hand.
-
- 7) Take a deep breath
-
- 8) While smoothly exhaling, hold on tight with your hands and straighten
- your legs. (classic leg press -- even Joe Average can exert twice his body
- weight in this mode.)
-
- 9) "Club" will conveniently bend into a horseshoe or shatter at a convenient
- notch, depending on the mood of the guy running the tempering furnace.
- This is why you wear weightlifting gloves while doing this trick- it keeps
- the steel fragments from cutting you.
-
- There is another "club" that has a collar that wraps around a segment of
- the steering wheel; these cost more, are much less common, and the above
- technique does not work for them. However, you can hacksaw the wheel in one
- place and "spring" the wheel enough to allow the collar to pop off the wheel.
- Bend the wheel back, add some tinted epoxy, and you're clean.
-
- Auto Alarms
-
- More and more, people are using auto alarms to try to protect their
- vehicles. Unfortunately, if somebody wants to steal your car, they will. No
- amount of protection will prevent this. The strategy behind an auto alarm is
- to make your car more of a pain to steal then somebody elses. Here are the
- basics of car alarms.
-
- The Brain
-
- The main alarm unit, sometimes called the "brain", is mounted in the most
- secure place that can be found. Up inside the dashboard for instance. They
- basically took the whole dash apart, install the alarm, and then put the whole
- dash together around it. Some places install the brain under a seat or even up
- under the carpet on the passenger side ("so they can adjust it easier"). This
- is incredibly stupid.
-
- Starter Kill
-
- Basically, when the alarm is armed, the starter is electronically
- disconnected so the car cannot be started or even hot wired. Most alarms have
- this as a standard feature.
-
- Valet switches
-
- This is a toggle switch that can be set to keep the alarm from going off
- if the owner has to leave it with a valet or for car repairs. Most of the
- systems have this feature.
-
- Passive vs Active Arming
-
- With passive arming, the alarm becomes armed after a given time period
- after the last car door has closed. To disarm, you can either get in to the
- car and place the key in the ignition within a certain time period or press a
- button on a remote transmitter to disarm the alarm.
-
- With active arming, you have to press a button on a transmitter to arm the
- alarm. To disarm, you press the transmitter button again.
-
- Arming and Disarming beeps
-
- Most alarms give you an audible alert when the alarm is armed or disarmed.
- This serves two purposes. One is to let you know the alarm is working and on
- the job. The other is to let others know the car has an alarm.
-
- Motion Sensors
-
- Some alarms like the UNGO box and others have a motion sensor. In the
- UNGO Box's case, it is a tube filled with mercury surrounded by a wire coil.
- When the car moves, the mercury moves within the tube causing current to flow
- in the coil. This is what sets the alarm off. Other have some type of spring
- with a weight on it so when the car moves, the weight bobbles back and forth
- and makes contact with the casing causing the circuit to be completed. The
- former method has a patent, the latter has no patent because it is worthless.
- If you have ever heard a parking lot full of alarms going off at an airport or
- a parking deck, it is because of this type of sensor. These are prone to false
- alarms from passing trucks, thunder, airplanes, etc.
-
- The UNGO Box's sensor is highly adjustable, however, if you adjust it to
- eliminate all false alarms, then you have basically disabled its usefulness for
- triggering real alarms.
-
- Shock Sensor
-
- This is what comes standard on most alarms. It basically senses motion
- like a motion sensor but scans a very short period of time. You can rock the
- car and push up and down on it and the shock sensor will not go off. If you
- kick a tire or hit the window or door with your fist, the alarm goes off.
-
- Glass Breakage Sensor
-
- What this is supposed to do is pick up on the particular high frequencies
- of glass being broken or cut and to trigger the alarm. It is basically a
- microphone placed somewhere inside the car.
-
- Field Motion Sensor (Perimeter Guard)
-
- Basically this is the type of sensor which sets up some type of field
- around the car and inside the car to detect masses coming close to the car. It
- is a must for convertible owners. These aren't as common as most other types
- because of the extremely high cost. There are many cheap ones available to add
- to any alarm, but they have nothing but problems with them (i.e. false
- alarms). Some Alpine systems are designed especially for this type of sensor
- and have a price tag to match.
-
- They are basically useless on hard top cars. Some cheap units are set off
- by anything. There is a car parked right outside of my classroom which is
- always being set off by falling rain and passers by. Very annoying. There are
- other fancy alarms which have a pre- recorded message like "Please step away
- from the car ...". These are really stupid and a waste of money. I heard of a
- new BMW being tortured by a group of kids throwing rocks at it just to hear the
- little voice go off.
-
- Current sensor
-
- This basically monitors the current drain on the battery. If it changes,
- i.e. a door is opened causing a light to come on, the alarm is triggered.
- This is how many cheap alarms are triggered. They just monitor the current.
- The doors and trunk are all protected because they have lights which will come
- on when opened.
-
- The problem is, most newer cars have a fan inside the engine compartment
- which comes on even after the car is turned off. The resulting drain on the
- battery will trigger a current sensor.
-
- Seat pressure sensor
-
- If someone sits in the seat, the alarm is triggered. Not very practical
- unless on a convertible. By the time the thief is in your seat, your car or
- your stereo is history anyway.
-
- Backup Battery
-
- This is an emergency backup battery for the car alarm. It charges off of
- the car alternator just like the car's battery. If the car's battery goes dead
- or if the power cables are cut, the battery can still run the alarm and the
- siren. The alarm will remain armed.
-
- With cheaper alarms and/or poor installations, some systems might end up
- wired into the car in a haphazard way. Most alarms flash the car's parking
- lights when activated. All a thief has to do is short out a parking light, set
- your alarm off and whammo, your car and the alarm goes dead. Thief gets in,
- replaces the right fuses and off he goes.
-
- Automatic Door locks/Unlocks
-
- Another neat feature is automatic door locking. This is an option on most
- alarms. It uses what they call an "output" from the alarm which can be
- programmed to do various things. Most installers set this up so that when the
- alarm is armed, all doors lock and when the alarm is disarmed, all doors
- unlock.
-
- Pagers
-
- A pager (sometimes called Autopage) is used to page the owner's beeper
- when the car alarm goes off. This way they can run to the parking lot and
- chase a potential car thief away or catch the person who just rammed in to your
- car before they speed away. Pagers may also use up an "output" on the alarm
- unit. Some hook on to the siren and are triggered off of the vibration when
- the alarm goes off.
-
- Transmitters
-
- These of course are used to remotely turn the alarm on and off. It seems
- that with cheaper and/or older alarms, it is possible to transmit all of the
- codes in rapid fire sequence to a car alarm. Eventually, you will hit upon the
- right code combination to disarm the alarm. The average alarm has around 2 to
- the 29th codes which is not very many. Newer (and probably more expensive)
- alarms can sense this and lock out any further attempts for a given time
- period.
-
-
-
- The Marlock System
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- The Marlock System uses a key consisting of a piece of metal with holes
- bored in it, and then covered up with strips of IR-invisible plastic. Thus,
- you can't see anything in the plastic, but IR in the keyhole reader can see
- thru just fine. It decodes this, sends it to a controller interface box, which
- sends it to a controller PC, which says "cool or uncool", and if cool, then the
- interface box sends power to the strike on the door, and turns the LED on the
- reader green.
-
- Each area that is to be accessed via Marlock must have some sort of reader
- device. This can be either a "keyhole" in the knob, a plate on the wall with
- the keyhole in it, or whatever. The reader is hooked up to a controller
- interface box. this box is locked with a really poor lock (like you'd have on
- your diskette box) and is located close to the area being secured, often in the
- ceiling. The controller interface box simply provides power for the reader,
- the little LED over the top of the reader, and the electric strike locking the
- door. The whole thing is controlled by an IBM PC with a reader keyhole mounted
- on the front of the PC which runs to an interface card inside the PC.
-
- To program a key into the system, one simply inserts it into the keyhole
- on the front of the PC, and then tells the program when and where this key can
- work. This is stored in its database, and recalled by the reader as needed.
- Also the PC keeps logs of when and where a key was used -- whether or not it
- worked! There are audit trails all over the place.
-
- If the power goes out, then whether or not the door opens is dependent
- upon the strike which was installed. IT can be either fail-safe (i.e. no
- power -- open!) or fail-secure (i.e. no power- lock!). However, for fire
- safety code requirements, companies often install it on the side of the door
- which allowed entry to a restricted area -- not exit.
-
- Some of the Marlock cylinders have a small brass spot in the middle of the
- LED. This is an emergency override. One would insert a marlock key, and use a
- 9V battery between the key and the pin to provide a signal to the interface
- controller to pop the strike. This may not still be the case however.
-
- Defeating the Marlock System
-
- Since there's an electric strike all you have to do is provide power to
- the strike so it'll release. This is usually 12-24 volts DC, and is easily
- obtained from some lantern batteries. The activation wires for the strike
- usually run down inside the door jamb from the controller interface box. And
- if you have access to the controller interface box, then just pick the lock on
- the front of it. The heavier wires are for the electric strike (the thin wires
- are from the reader). Then just apply power to the thing -- use jumper wires
- to get the power from the controller interface box...
-
-
- VingCards
- ~~~~~~~~~
- These cards are used primarily by hotels, and our quite unique. The lock
- is a matrix of 32 pins which have two possible positions each [sort of like a
- vax...]. Two of these are special and aren't really used in the keying. The
- remaining 30 are constructed out of standard pin and driver parts, except that
- all the drivers are the same length and all the pins are the same length. The
- pin-driver combinations sit pointing upward [the springs are underneath] in a
- sort of matrix about 1.5 inches on a side. Above each pin-driver combination
- sits a steel ball. The entire matrix is enclosed in a *plastic* assembly, part
- of which can slide "forward" [i.e. away from the user]. Some of you may be
- familiar with the keys: white plastic cards about 3 inches long with a bunch of
- holes in one end. Pushing this into the slot until it "clicks" forward opens
- the locking mechanism.
-
- The lock combination is set by inserting a similar card, only half as
- long, into the *back* of the lock. This card is the same thickness as the
- opening card and has part of the hole matrix cut out. A juxtaposition of this
- combination card from the back and the key card from the front closes the
- matrix: i.e. if you overlay the combination and key cards in their opening
- configuration, there are no open holes left, *exclusively*: i.e. where there
- is a hole on the combination card there is solid on the key card, and vice
- versa. Thus the complement of the proper key card is the combination card.
- This is enforced by the placement of the ballbearings and pins in relation to
- the sliders and top plate, so a workaround like a card with all holes cut out
- or a solid card does not open the thing.
-
- The combination card slides in between the conical pin ends and the steel
- ballbearings [and is thus harder to push in than the key card]. The key card
- comes in over the balls, and its thickness pushes the balls under its solid
- regions downward. So each pin assembly is pushed down, when the lock is open,
- the same amount, be it by the key card hitting the ballbearing or the
- combination card wedging the actual pin downward. Clarification: Let us define
- a "1" pin as a hole in the opening card. Thus a "0" pin sits under a solid
- portion of the opening card and a hole in the combination card. A 0 pin opens
- as follows: Since the combination card lets the pin rise up against the steel
- ball, the keycard pushes the ball [and its pin] down to the bottom of the
- keycard slot. This brings that pin to its shear line. Simple. Here's the
- magic -- a 1 pin opens in the following fashion: Since the combination card is
- solid there, the steel ball is sitting directly on the combination card, and
- the pin underneath is *already* at its shear line. If a solid keycard portion
- arrives over this ball, the ball is pushed down against the combination card
- and *pushes the entire area of the combination card down under it*, lousing up
- not only that pin's shear line but probably a few around it. Although a clever
- mechanism, this depends on the elasticity of the combination card to work.
- Note that as the key card is inserted and removed, the combination card will be
- flexed up and down randomly until the keycard comes to rest at its opening
- position. [Correction to above: each pin really has *three* possible
- positions. Hmm.]
-
- All this happens within the confines of the sliding *plastic* frame; this
- part carries the two cards, the balls, and the top halves of the pins. The
- stationary part underneath this contains the drivers and springs. A metal
- plate bolts down on top of the sliding piece, leaving a gap just big enough for
- the key card. If the screws holding this plate were to become loose, the plate
- would rise up, the key card would sit too high up, and the lock would not open.
- All the positioning is done by the thickness of the keys while they rest
- against the surfaces of their slots. Therefore a piece of thin cardboard will
- not serve as a duplicate key. We found that two pieces of plastic "do not
- disturb" sign, cut identically and used together, were thick enough to position
- things correctly and open the lock.
-
- A rough top view: Pin mechanism:
-
- Back _ = top plate Front Back
- o o o o <> = balls ________________________________
- o o o H = keycard HHHHHHHHHHHHH<>HHHHHHHHHH<>HHHHHH ## QQ
- o o o o O = comb. card --> QQ OOOOOOOO<>OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
- o o o # = slider QQ# [] [] [] ## QQ
- @ o o @ [] = pins QQ###[]####[]####[]#################
- o o o || = driver/ QQQQQ||QQQQ||QQQQ||QQQQQQQQQQQQQ
- o o o o spring asm QQQQQ||QQQQ||QQQQ||QQQQQQQQQQQQQ
- o o o Q = stationary QQQQQ||QQQQ||QQQQ||QQQQQQQQQQQQQ
- o o o o housing QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ
- Front
-
- It is hoped that the diagram on the right, with its three example pins,
- will show sufficiently that if two holes coincide the pin will rise too far,
- and if two solid places coincide, the entire combination card would be pushed
- down by the ballbearings. There is sufficient space underneath the combination
- card for it to sag down and foul the shear line; it is normally held upward by
- the pins' spring tension against the underside. This diagram may be misleading
- if it is not understood that the balls are actually larger than shown; i.e.
- the height of approximately three cards stacked up equals the diameter of the
- ballbearing. There is a thin layer of slider plastic between the keycard and
- the combination card, which separates them and retains the ballbearings.
-
- The @'s in the top view are the two magic pins. These prevent the lock
- from working at all unless a combination card is inserted. They are a bit
- thicker than the other pins and do not have ballbearing parts. The slider
- above the combination card slot here is solid, so these pins have nothing to do
- with the keycard. They simply hold the lock shut if no combination card is
- installed, regardless of what is done with a keycard. Therefore if one were to
- make a combination card that only pushed down these pins, a solid keycard would
- work. And if one inserts a solid combination card, the lock is already open
- before you insert anything. [This is a useful hack that will allow anyone to
- open the door with just about any tool, in case you are crashing lots of people
- in a room, don't have enough keys, and don't feel like making more. Naturally
- your security is compromised, but only those who know what's going on will be
- able to get in.]
-
- The slider has a bracket bolted on to it, which reaches down toward the
- doorknob and pushes a moveable sleeve with a square hole through it. This
- joins two sections of a three-section split shaft together, which allows the
- outside knob to retract the bolt. The inside knob is "hardwired" to the bolt
- action and always opens the door. The extra split in the shaft is so that with
- the card in place, the lock will still behave like a regular split-shaft
- knobset [and disable opening if the deadbolt is shot].
-
- There is a hinged plastic door on the back [inside] of the lock, which is
- held shut with a screwdriver tab inside a slot. This is where the combination
- card goes, although this door exposes enough to see the entire slider mechanism
- [except for its inner works; the entire back must be taken off to get the
- slider out].
-
- Now, the security evaluation: I see no clear way to "pick" it. The rear
- pins are hard to get at without touching the frontmost ones. However, this
- lock would be *very* easy to defeat, in the following fashion: A thin tool
- about the thickness of a keycard and about .2 inch wide can cover one column of
- ballbearings. If this tool is slowly slid straight into the slot along each
- column in turn, the resistance encountered as it contacts each ball indicates
- whether there is a hole or not underneath it in the combination card. The
- combination card presses upward against the ball more strongly than the pin's
- spring does, so this would allow one to map the combination card and then
- construct the keycard complement. This process wouldn't take very long. I
- therefore recommend that these locks be considered less than high-security.
- Furthermore, come to think of it, a small hole drilled in the front plate
- [which I doubt is hardened] would make it easy to frob the slider or split
- shaft.
-
-
- Electronic Hotel Card Locks
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- These are wonderful little microcomputer projects masquerading as door
- locks. Inside there's a processor running a program, with I/O leads going to
- things like the magnetic strip reader, or the infrared LEDs, and the solenoid,
- and the lights on the outside. They are powered entirely by a battery pack,
- and the circuitry is designed such that it draws almost nil power while idle.
- The cards are usually magnetic-strip or infrared. The former uses an oxide
- strip like a bank card, while the infrared card has a lot of holes punched in
- it. Since IR light passes through most kinds of paper, there is usually a thin
- layer of aluminum inside these cards. The nice thing about these systems is
- that the cards are generally expendable; the guest doesn't have to return them
- or worry about lost-key charges, the hotel can make them in quantity on the
- fly, and the combination changes for each new guest in a given room. The hotel
- therefore doesn't need a fulltime key shop, just a large supply of blank cards.
- Duplication isn't a problem either since the keys are invalidated so quickly.
-
- The controlling program basically reads your card, validates the number it
- contains against some memory, and optionally pulls a solenoid inside the lock
- mechanism allowing you to enter. The neat thing about them is that card
- changes are done automatically and unknowingly by the new incoming guest. The
- processor generates new card numbers using a pseudorandom sequence, so it is
- able to know the current valid combination, and the *next* one. A newly
- registered guest is given the *new* card, and when the lock sees that card
- instead of the current [i.e. old guest's] card, it chucks the current
- combination, moves the next one into the current one, and generates the new
- next. In addition there is a housekeeping combination that is common to all
- the locks on what's usually a floor, or other management-defined unit.
-
- There is no wire or radio connection to the hotel desk. The desk and the
- lock are kept in sync by the assumption that the lock won't ever see the "next"
- card until a new guest shows up. However if you go to the desk and claim to
- have lost your card, the new one they give you is often the "next" card
- instead. If you never use it and continue using your old card, the guest after
- you will have the wrong "next". In cases like this when the hotel's computer
- and the lock get out of sync, the management has to go up and reset the lock.
- This is probably done with a magic card that the lock always knows about [like
- in ROM], and tells it something akin to "use this next card I'm going to insert
- as the current combination". The pseudorandom sequence simply resumes from
- there and everything's fixed. If the lock loses power for some reason, its
- current memory will be lost but the magic "reset" card will work.
-
- Rumor has it that these locks always have a back-door means of defeating
- them, in case the logic fails. Needless to say, a given manufacturer's method
- is highly proprietary information. In theory the security of these things is
- very high against a "random guess" card since there are usually many bits
- involved in the combination, and of course there is no mechanical lock to be
- manipulated or picked. The robustness of the locking hardware itself sometimes
- leaves something to be desired, but of course a lock designed for a hotel door
- probably isn't the kind of thing you'd mount on your house.
-
-
- Security Alarm Systems
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Security alarm systems are becoming more and more common in the home and
- small business. They will become more and more popular in coming years as
- their prices continue to fall. There are basically two types of systems, the
- open circuit and closed circuit system.
-
- The Open Circuit System
-
- An open circuit system is composed of magnetic detectors or contacts that
- are "normally closed." That means that their contacts are separated when the
- door or window is in the normally closed position.When the door or window is
- opened, the contacts are released, causing them to close. This allows current
- to flow through the wires, and the alarm sounds. All the contacts and
- detectors are wired in parallel. This means that current flows ONLY when any
- contact or detector switch makes contact. Let me illustrate:
-
-
- switch is open switch is closed
-
- wire
- ----#############1############# ----#############1#############
- #############2#############---
-
- #############2#############----
- ########## wire
- ==========================
- | MAGNET | (Magnet has been removed)
- ==========================
-
-
- A Normally Closed Switch Assembly
-
-
-
- In the first figure, the "normally closed" switch assembly, which would be
- mounted about the door, is help open as the lower portion (#2) is pulled to the
- magnet which would be mounted on top of the door. The magnet has an attractive
- force greater than the force of a spring which normally holds the two parts of
- the switch closed. In this position, no current flows through the switch. In
- the second figure, the door would be open, and thus the magnet not aligned
- under the switch. Both halves of the switch have been returned to their
- "normal" position, closed, by the spring.
-
- The obvious disadvantage of an open circuit system is that it become
- inoperative if a transmission wire is cut, a contact or terminal wire becomes
- loose, or some similar condition. For this reason, circuit wiring for this
- type is often concealed. The vulnerability of the system is minimized by a
- test switch or key position which sends current through the main circuit wiring
- and reveals any line breaks. This test lights a small warning lamp on the main
- panel, bypassing the main alarm. This will only test the integrity of the
- circuit, not individual detectors.
-
- When the open circuit system is engaged, an alarm will occur immediately
- if any doors are windows have been left open. Of course the alarm will also
- sound anytime a door is used while the alarm is in operation. Many times a
- bypass switch will be placed next to frequently used access ways. This can be
- dangerous because someone can break a door or window pain, activate the bypass
- switch, and have free access to the entrance.
-
-
- The Closed Circuit System
-
- In a closed circuit security system, low amperage current continuously
- flows from the power source, throughout the detector switches, to the
- supervising relay (a type of switch) in the control panel. The detector
- switches are of the normally open type. This is the opposite of the normally
- closed type. The magnet holds the normally open switch assembly together, so
- current flows through the switch. When the magnet is removed, the switch
- springs open, and current ceases to flow throughout the circuit. The
- supervising relay monitors the current in the circuit, and should it be
- interrupted (by a door opening and causing a detector switch to open), it will
- activate the alarm buzzer, telephone dialer, siren, or whatever.
-
- Note that in the closed circuit system, any attempt to cut the wires would
- have the same effect as opening a detector switch. The current would be
- interrupted and the alarm would sound. This makes the closed circuit a much
- more secure system than the open circuit type.
-
- The closed circuit system requires more sophisticated equipment and the
- circuit installation must be precisely wired. Closed systems are also prone to
- more frequent false alarms.
-
-
- Security Alarm System Power Sources
-
- The current for most systems comes from battery, transformer, or a
- recharging pack. The recharging pack is a complete power supply providing 6-12
- volts of power. This is enough to run several separate alarm circuits and even
- a six volt telephone dialer. It is usually equipped with nicad backup
- batteries in case of power failure.
-
-
- Magnetic Detectors
-
- I used the "Magnetic Detector" when explaining the closed and open circuit
- types of security systems. These are by far the most common type of detectors
- used. As discussed before, they are a two part assembly consisting of a magnet
- and a switch. Both are encased in a weatherproof plastic case.
-
-
- Tamper Switch or Plunger Contact
-
- Another popular type of detector is the tamper switch. It may be used on
- windows, alarm boxes, or control panels. It consists of a switch assembly with
- a spring loaded "plunger" protruding from one end. It is available in both the
- normally open and normally closed configurations.
-
-
- All-Purpose (Bullet) Detector
-
- This is a beveled button used primarily on doors or double-hung windows.
- The button is installed in the hinged side of the door frame, recessed into the
- frame. When the door is closed, the button is depressed. When opened, it of
- course pops out.
-
-
- Floor Mats
-
- Pressure sensitive mats wired with open or closed circuits to make or
- break contact when stepped upon are used as backup to perimeter security
- systems such as rear entrance doors. They can be placed under regular
- carpeting or loose rugs.
-
-
- Door and Window Traps
-
- These are basically "trip-wires" and aren't used too often. They do work
- well in areas where conventional detectors would not work, and are
- substantially cheaper than infrared. They can be placed in either a horizontal
- or vertical configuration. For open circuit systems, an insulated plug is
- placed between the contacts of the detector. When it is tripped, the plug is
- pulled out, causing the detector's switch to close. For a closed circuit
- system, one end of the trip wire is attached to one end of the switch, and the
- other end of the trip wire to the other half of the switch. This way current
- still flows in the circuit. When the wire is tripped, the circuit breaks.
-
-
- Photoelectric Systems
-
- Photoelectric systems transmit invisible pulse modulated beams from
- projector/transmitter to receiver. Interruption of the beam sets off the
- alarm. Although the system is designed primarily for interior used, military
- systems have been developed for use on the exterior, even in dense fog.
-
-
- Emergency Panic Button
-
- This permits an alarm to be activated by use of a pushbutton located near
- a front door, in a bedroom, or hidden under a counter. In a business, such a
- button could be used as a "holdup" button, silently summoning the police or
- activating the normal store alarm system.
-
-
- Automatic Telephone Dialer
-
- This is a device that will automatically call the appropriate telephone
- number and relay a prerecorded message. These devices are often used to
- contact the police, private security, or store officials. Of course, the
- system is at risk if the exterior phone wires are accessible. For this reason
- the phone wiring will be either incased in a steel sheath or wired for alarm.
-
-
-
-