I don't think I can paste a URL but I did find a 43 minute UA-cam video of someone tearing one of these 900 series apart. The channel name is Morningstar Madworks and the video title is "Kaba Simplex 900 explained". There's even a bit in the video where he actually created a visual aid to explain how the double press works. It's pretty neat.
You forgot to mention there's also only 125 combinations 5*5. The lock can be brute forced after 50% of the combinations are done statistically you have a 50% greater chance of not even doing all 125 possible
I took care of several of these for the volunteer fire department I was on, and I always used all 5 buttons in the combination (which was changed periodically) precisely so that the wear of the buttons didn't give any hints.
I used to support a London-wide organisation, where nearly all the push-button locks were [2&4] then 3, even though the buttons were arranged vertically. A few years later I visited a completely different site, and to the local guy's surprise, opened the computer room door first time.
I was always amused at work by the way toilet paper and the toilet paper holders in the bathroom had locks on them ("locks" if you were generous, anyway), but the (probably $30,000 copier/scanner) was expected to be serviced by any random employee who needed to add paper or clear a jam. The priorities seemed a bit strange 🙂
I wish I could attach a photo to a comment. My local diner has an alarm keypad that has 4 numbers that are clean, when you look up the address of the building it has the same 4 numbers in the address...lol
While funny it's such a low security situation anyways. Not many people want to break into a diner and disable the alarm. It's likely only there for code and not to protect anything.
ooops LOL Fun fact phone pins can be found in similar ways as your mess up the finish on the glass from touch patern unlock is worse by far as you only need 2 tries if you can see the smudges or worn path
It depends how durable it is and how long it takes to wear to that point. Also, from the manufacturer's standpoint it's (potentially) planned replacement timing.
I don't know if it's true or not but according to another commenter, it's actually 13 combinations because you can set it to three together combinations as well so 3, 4 and 5 together is another option.
When I was a kid back in the early 90's my bike was locked in a friends garage and no one was home. I guessed the combination by trying all the most used buttons. When he asked how I got into his mom's (super secure) garage I said I just kept trying the dirty buttons and it opened.
Depending on if the faceplat also shows wear, one could scramble the buttons and/or faceplate with a quick dissaemble/reassemble. Just make sure the two unused buttons are in used positions and eventually all parts will look worn in a manner that would be much harder to "read".
They say, unless you can explain to a six year old, you don't really know too much about it yourself. The efficiency and mastery you demonstrate is on Chuck norris scale of badassery.
A colleague and I needed to get into the computer room on a Sunday, and the operator who was supposed to be in there was missing. One phone call got, not the combination (the guy could do it with his fingers but didn't know the numbers) but this: 1 button, then 2 buttons, then 1. There were two doors, keyed alike, so we divided the code space between us and brute-forced it in about 30 seconds.
Then there's the over-the-shoulder method where you simply watch a few oblivious employees enter the door, Firm pushes are quite easy to see for anyone who happens to seat themselves strategically in some public area near the access door in question.
My old work had the toilets with those kind of locks. The numbers got worn and a customer figured out you don't have to enter them in order. The very next day they got rid and gave us keys.
I grew up with that exact style lock on our home. The black buttons never wore down, even though all the buttons were used. The letter 'A' was the pattern. It was easy to remember and easy to do in the dark. The two center buttons were pressed simultaneously followed by individual buttons pressed in this sequence...... lower left, top, then lower right...... forming the letter 'A'. That lock worked perfectly for over 40 years until the house was finally sold. 👈
MIL-SPEC Change combo every 6 months or when someone leaves the shop. We had the plate with vertical buttons, the mechanisms would fail before you could see any button wear.
Damn!! I'm glad I have a modern hospital!! You have to use key cards everywhere in my hospital to gain access. Even in the laundry room you need a key card!
3+4+5 is a valid entry, making 13 combinations. You can use 4 or 5 buttons together, but hitting them in sync in quite difficult. 2+4, then 3 is the factory default; this is like having "password" for a password. Short term, the lovely black finish allows you to determine which keys are used, as dust shows up really well on the unused keys - indeed, you could plant your own disclosing agent.
If 3 simultaneous buttons is the combo and you know this, there would only be 10 possibilities. Very quick and easy to brute force. And of course if button wear reveals which buttons to press, then there is only one option.
@@wingracer1614 Both mine and LPL's number of permutations are based on the three very silver keys being the most probable. I am only highlighting the extra 3 button press, which LPL hadn't gleaned from the manual. Not trying to take anything away from his content ...or argue that painted buttons won't work! 🙂
@@MC-hx6nk Wasn't criticizing you, just pointing out that making a combination lock that uses 5 choose 3 for its combinations is a really bad idea as that only gives 10 possible combinations. And button wear on such a lock wouldn't just reduce the options, it would give you the exact combo.
IMO, this _is_ a design failure as much as a user failure, because it is designed in such a way that ordinary wear and tear seriously compromises security. A better design would give all the buttons a polished but unvarnished top to start with, so that wear would be less visible.
it's a "thought failure", as in nobody thought about it. I do food delivery on the side after work, and can guess an entry code into most apartment gates. This is because the number/letters are embedded in the buttons just like an old house phone. Skin/dirt/whatever rubs off after 20 years, and fills the outlines on the buttons, and plus there are 100+ tenants. So if pound-4 5 6 7 are almost flat, and hard to read, I just try a few variations of 6 5 4 7 # (or try pound first), and usually get in.
Locks like these need replaceable keycaps. The top half, maybe third, of the post unscrews, and you put a new one on. (Somewhere in America, a teen gamer will try to replace them with RGB lights.)
I used to support a London-wide organisation, where nearly all the push-button locks were [2&4] then 3, even though the buttons were arranged vertically. A few years later I visited a completely different site, and to the local guy's surprise, opened the computer room door first time.😊
We had these in our college dorms. It took about 30m to just brute force them. It was a good solution for making sure someone didn't walk in on you by accident which was all the protection we needed (but even we changed the combos...even if mostly just for silly games).
Back in the 1970's, I worked for a savings bank that used this very lock on a storage vault for computer cards and tapes. If you feel and listen while you try the buttons, you can determine when you pressed a good number by feel, rather like decoding a number wheel lock. The combo was changed weekly, and decoding became trivial.
even without the wear and tear giving you a clue, if you use a pair press, your total possible combos is 5*4*3*2=120, and if you don't use a pair, it's only 5*4*3=60..... you can try a lot in a very short amount of time. and a lot of people don't even know about the option to use a pair
We had that model lock on our IT room, combo was 1 & 4, 2 & 3, 5. I'm interested to see if LPL could decode a brand new one of that model lock (so no finish wear on the buttons) with someone changing the combo to one he doesn't already know...including simultaneous buttons.
Brilliant video! It's like a lock that defeats itself with use! 😂 When a worn-out button becomes the perfect clue… it’s definitely time for a combo change! Thanks for the lesson, I’ll keep checking hospital doors! 👀
You can also rub UV powder on them, and come back some time later, and use a UV light and see which buttons were pressed. I have one of these locks, and when I first received it, I didn't know the combo, took about 15 minutes of trying using a list of every possible combo. Since you can't use a number twice, it narrows the possibilities down to less than 2000, iirc.
Many years ago we had a similar lock into the part of the building where our engineering team worked. The company would change the code once a month and nobody could ever remember the code. So one engineer read up on the lock and found out that to change the code all you needed was the current code and an allen wrench. So after they'd changed the code he'd change the code back to the old code that had been used when he first started doing that. So we always knew the code. And when he left work the day before they were going to change the code he'd change it back so the company could change the code. That went on for about 6 months before anyone else noticed. Nobody got in trouble though. When you have a room full of engineers you're happy if the only mischief they they get up to is to play games with the lock. We did other things too though, most of which nobody ever found out ;)
I am looking forward to a potential follow-up video with a guided tour through the interiors of this guy. I remember we had a linearly arranged version of this theme in a lab I used to work at, probably using sliding instead of rotating plates.
We used to have this exact lock on the door to our office at a combatant command headquarters. I don't remember the paint wearing off the buttons, but we changed the combo often enough to not have it be an issue.
We used those on our UPS dropboxes for next Day Air packages. We did use the dual button combinatios and our buttons weren't painted. They were all chrome. And just like America's nuclear missle sites, the combinations were kept to 1 2-3 4. Easy to remember.
My first job had one of these. I was a summer temp, so they didn't give me the code and I had to wait until they came to let me in. With no intercom/phone/etc. to get anyone's attention, I was literally left waiting with no way of knowing when the guy I was working with would ever bother to come to the door after I was sent off to get a tool. So I looked at the buttons and the wear pattern was really obvious from most to least wear. I got it on the first try, and the guy was very surprised to see me show up in the middle of his long conversation with someone.
There was one of these locks on the door to a secure storage room in my first job - it, too, used the default combination of 2 + 4 then 3 but the buttons were the same colour as the rest of the housing. I have a feeling this particular lock was used as it was recommended by the job's insurance company.
I gotta say, I love your thumbnails, they scream old retired man that doesn't get the internet and yet they ooze so much personality, like my grandma sends me those emoticons, it's so nice.
Changing the combination after the buttons have worn down kind of adds an extra layer of security in a way too since people may be inclined to write off the two un-worn buttons and thus... bamboozle themselves.
i took a long train ride when i was 10 with my mom. i brought along a barrel style cheap combination lock that i found and did not know the 4 digit combination. i thought i would kill time trying to guess. never got it but when i came home i threw it on my desk and it opened !! 1624. i will never forget that.
If there's anything I learned from LPL videos. Locks are just a deterrent. If you want to step it up a notch, bright flash lights, loud horn, and a camera to catch them in the act with a little sign saying "now live on [streaming website]" (even if it's not).
Just a side question (based on your note that that hospitals keep the default settings.) - In the UK, the most popular 4 digit code for alarm's and door access was 1066 (year or the Norman invasion), In Ireland 1916 (after the failed Easter rising) - would it be 1776 in the US?
I have done this to mates apartment combination locks. I look at fat or wear and tear on them and they always use 4 numbers. So just repeat different patterns and you get in. Every, single, time.
QUESTIONS: - How do you change that -licks- locks combination? - If needed, how do you go about picking this type of lock? - Are these more secure than, regular pin locks? - Are these locks still available for purchase? - What would this type of lick be used for? A cabinet, a drawer or like an actual people door? 😂 - Can you open this one up to show us the guts? Or was this a loaner for the vid? Thank you for the years of interesting content. You saved my arse while I was on vacation. A medication was under lock & key. Key was misplaced. Medication was needed. So... smashed lock with another lock & wouldn't you know, it _actually_ freakin' worked!? You saved the day, my good Sir. Thanks. 😂😂😂❤
@@DreadX10 YES! I just love guts & all the secrets that they hold. Why isn't everything transparently see through?? Especially people, right? Wait... was that a little bit _too_ weird? Reign it in Hunny, Reign. It. TF. In woman... yer scaring these nice folks here! 😭💀
There are literally hundreds of these locks on the doors of Nokia Bell Labs in N.J. And yup, many are hard to open due to their age and constant usage.
One could argue that a designer could foresee this being a problem that should be addressed if they were designing for a spevific application. Even if you could expect people to change the default combination when they first get a lot (if they don't, there is little you can do), it is very common for them to keep that combination unless they have are forced to change it, especially if the process to change the combination requires instructions (that they probably lost with the first year of operation). While you can't realistically have a mechanical lock force people to change their password, you can make the buttons so they don't wear out in such an obvious way. Did they *need* to have black tips? Anybody designing a system should at least attempt to think about how the end user will behave. You can't predict everything and the user should be held responsible for their actions, but you are making a thing that will be used. That said, making the order the buttons are pressed matter definitely makes this lock superior to many similar mechanical button locks and means that a casual intruder may need to take a few tries to get it correct. Still pretty trivial, but a lot of people are lazy and, if the place is well-traveled, you might not want to linger. The ability to press multiple buttons at once is an interesting feature, but I wonder if that would make it more difficult to communicate the code to somebody unfamiliar with such a lock. If you just use single buttons, you can just write down "3 4 5" and anybody would understand. If you have multiple simultaneous buttons in a step, you'd need to explain or demonstrate the lock. People will often place convenience over security.
"I see the [default factory setting] used in hospitals all the time." Now I'm imagining LPL stuck in a hospital for some kind of overnight stay, totally being THAT patient, the one who will NOT stay in their room, except instead of trying to flirt w/the nurses, he's giving them a run-down of the weaknesses of the hospital security and the dangers (and legal liabilities) of using poor locks on the pharmacy doors. 🤣🤣🤣
This is the type of lock used for the bathrooms at the pool where my grandparents lived when I was growing up. Were very temperamental, and one time my brother got stuck inside the bathroom because it wouldn't re-open.
I can't help but think the alternate option is to make all the buttons equally worn by taking off the finish, or using one that doesn't wear very easily.
You could wire brush the paint off. A soak in acetone will probably do most of it. No reason to have paint except for looks. Even the cheapest steel won't hardly rust being handled all the time. Nice lock 👍 Deserves a second video.
Sadly, lazyness is an extremely powerful foe. It would take a Herculean effort to make locks hard to pick as they would also be complicated to unlock normally I would think, and that is where they lazy comes into its own... Love the vids LPL! Please don't stop the boogie.
There are some locks that open just like any other lock but are very difficult (I won't say impossible but really, they might as well be if only 5 people in the world can pick it and it takes them 30 minutes or more to do it) to pick. Bowley and Medico come to mind.
There’s a 5-in-a-row one I know that’s finally being polished so it’s hard to tell what the three buttons of the combination actually are. For many months it was obvious, just not what order - not many possibilities, of course.
![[1600] What NOT to Do: American’s “Weatherbuilt” Padlock (Model 701W)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WhnWi5wnikk/mqdefault.jpg)
![[1600] What NOT to Do: American’s “Weatherbuilt” Padlock (Model 701W)](/img/tr.png)
Same for Masterlocks : the keyhole is in a pristine condition, but the pins are worn out due to raking them open.
Not on the ones that be completely bypassed. 😺😺
Savage 😂
No need to rake. They will open with a stern enough look.
I was hoping for a tear-down!! It would have been nice to see the bits and bobs inside.
Absolutely, I would really like to see the inside
I don't think I can paste a URL but I did find a 43 minute UA-cam video of someone tearing one of these 900 series apart. The channel name is Morningstar Madworks and the video title is "Kaba Simplex 900 explained". There's even a bit in the video where he actually created a visual aid to explain how the double press works. It's pretty neat.
@@danceswithdirt7197 if it's a youtube URL I think it isn't a problem, but the title is enought
@@danceswithdirt7197 Thank you. I'll search for it.
@@danceswithdirt7197 This is true but I would still like to hear LPL's soothing voice.
Alternative solution: Sand all the buttons down.
That would work for the finish on the face of the buttons. But you can also see the finish on the sides of the buttons have the same issue.
@@RhinoBarbarianRepeat step 1
You forgot to mention there's also only 125 combinations 5*5. The lock can be brute forced after 50% of the combinations are done statistically you have a 50% greater chance of not even doing all 125 possible
unless there is a combo that can use all 5 buttons to open the lock each time.
@@sgpro819it's not 5*5 because multiple button can be pressed simultaneously
I love how he casually mentions that he checks locks in hospitals for the default combination... LPL what madness are you up to??
He's a locksmith isn't he? I think it's his job to check them out
@@evann03 Actually, fun fact, he's a lawyer
LockPickingDoctor
He's a lawyer looking for business?
Maybe he used to wander the floors looking for patients who wanted to sue someone. 😺😺😺
I took care of several of these for the volunteer fire department I was on, and I always used all 5 buttons in the combination (which was changed periodically) precisely so that the wear of the buttons didn't give any hints.
if it was an 11 ton American LaFrance, then I know the lock! :)
Yeah right, there are only three rotors, thus every combination uses only three buttons.
@@toomanyhobbies2011 Since you can set it to use two buttons as one entry.......
@@toomanyhobbies2011 I'd assume he means that over time he made sure to use all 5, then
Our fire station never changed it. Probably still the same today.
I used to support a London-wide organisation, where nearly all the push-button locks were [2&4] then 3, even though the buttons were arranged vertically. A few years later I visited a completely different site, and to the local guy's surprise, opened the computer room door first time.
People can't change the time on their microwaves and you want them to figure out how to set a new lock combination?
You only posted this 10 mins ago now people can't which bathroom to use we are sliding down hill fast let alone change a timer or reset a lock
Magic The Gathering players will look at this lock and have a distinct desire
Are you referencing the 5-color logo on the back of the cards, or something else? I haven't played in a few years, so I think I'm missing something.
For example this combination was BRG also known as a Jund lock.
@@dsproductions19nope, you had it right: the color pie.
@@vctrsigmaJund 'em out!
"For some reason, I see that in hospitals all the time." Now I'm seriously wondering how often LPL visits hospitals and tries to open locked doors.
Simplex, the lock protecting office supplies & janitor's closets the world over...
I was always amused at work by the way toilet paper and the toilet paper holders in the bathroom had locks on them ("locks" if you were generous, anyway), but the (probably $30,000 copier/scanner) was expected to be serviced by any random employee who needed to add paper or clear a jam. The priorities seemed a bit strange 🙂
Roll of toilet paper is a bit easier to take away than copy machine.
@@tomhorsley6566people steal more toilet paper than printer paper because the poo more than they print
I wish I could attach a photo to a comment. My local diner has an alarm keypad that has 4 numbers that are clean, when you look up the address of the building it has the same 4 numbers in the address...lol
The office that I once worked at had code 5102 which was 2015 in reverse order, the year that they installed the alarm.
While funny it's such a low security situation anyways. Not many people want to break into a diner and disable the alarm.
It's likely only there for code and not to protect anything.
I used to be a delivery driver, and the number of people that use their address as their gate code is... much larger than it should be.
ooops LOL
Fun fact phone pins can be found in similar ways as your mess up the finish on the glass from touch patern unlock is worse by far as you only need 2 tries if you can see the smudges or worn path
@@mark20044 Mine is backwards, so it is totally secure.
I'd rather take the finish off and not have to worry about it tbh
Yeah, if it's this worn down, might as well sand off the finish on the other two dials.
agreed, just sand the buttons down, & polish them back smooth.
seems like a design flaw to finish it that way.
It depends how durable it is and how long it takes to wear to that point. Also, from the manufacturer's standpoint it's (potentially) planned replacement timing.
For anyone curious, the 12 possible combinations are:
3-4-5
3-5-4
4-3-5
4-5-3
5-3-4
5-4-3
(3&4 together)-5
(3&5 together)-4
(4&5 together)-3
3-(4&5 together)
4-(3&5 together)
5-(3&4 together)
I don't know if it's true or not but according to another commenter, it's actually 13 combinations because you can set it to three together combinations as well so 3, 4 and 5 together is another option.
In my experience they're also decodable by touch -- the numbers used in the combination will feel looser.
Wouldnt be safer to polish any 3 buttons randomly? It would certainly deceive 🤭🤭
that's really smart, actually
When I was a kid back in the early 90's my bike was locked in a friends garage and no one was home.
I guessed the combination by trying all the most used buttons.
When he asked how I got into his mom's (super secure) garage I said I just kept trying the dirty buttons and it opened.
I like your thinking, but it's even easier to let the users polish it first, then change it.
@jxh02 but it takes a long time for naturally polish and it will be vulnerable by a long time
Depending on if the faceplat also shows wear, one could scramble the buttons and/or faceplate with a quick dissaemble/reassemble. Just make sure the two unused buttons are in used positions and eventually all parts will look worn in a manner that would be much harder to "read".
This was exactly how I broke out of a secure psychiatric facility. They changed the lock the next day for a different type.
source: trust me bro
So, what were you in for?
@@TS6815 August 2011. Still remember the code which I guessed on the first try.
@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine bipolar 1 and severe paranoid psychosis. Eventually re-diagnosed with encephalitis many years later.
They say, unless you can explain to a six year old, you don't really know too much about it yourself. The efficiency and mastery you demonstrate is on Chuck norris scale of badassery.
A colleague and I needed to get into the computer room on a Sunday, and the operator who was supposed to be in there was missing. One phone call got, not the combination (the guy could do it with his fingers but didn't know the numbers) but this: 1 button, then 2 buttons, then 1. There were two doors, keyed alike, so we divided the code space between us and brute-forced it in about 30 seconds.
2:05 Ah! Could it be our LockPickingLawyer is an ambulance chaser?
Probably 😂
Then there's the over-the-shoulder method where you simply watch a few oblivious employees enter the door, Firm pushes are quite easy to see for anyone who happens to seat themselves strategically in some public area near the access door in question.
Yes, as I sat in waiting rooms, many times I've got the combinations to the doors just by watching multiple employees go thru them.
That's like a combination an idiot would put on their luggage.
Besides 0-0-0
Or the shield protecting the planet
@@TalpaDK Mega-Maid
I understood that reference.
My old work had the toilets with those kind of locks. The numbers got worn and a customer figured out you don't have to enter them in order. The very next day they got rid and gave us keys.
Completely different thing the NON sequential things a joke that style he has just shown will NOT open with digits in the wrong order
That's amazing! I have the same combination on my luggage!
I grew up with that exact style lock on our home. The black buttons never wore down, even though all the buttons were used. The letter 'A' was the pattern. It was easy to remember and easy to do in the dark. The two center buttons were pressed simultaneously followed by individual buttons pressed in this sequence...... lower left, top, then lower right...... forming the letter 'A'. That lock worked perfectly for over 40 years until the house was finally sold. 👈
MIL-SPEC Change combo every 6 months or when someone leaves the shop.
We had the plate with vertical buttons, the mechanisms would fail before you could see any button wear.
Damn!! I'm glad I have a modern hospital!! You have to use key cards everywhere in my hospital to gain access. Even in the laundry room you need a key card!
Thor from Pirate Software has entered the chat...
3+4+5 is a valid entry, making 13 combinations.
You can use 4 or 5 buttons together, but hitting them in sync in quite difficult.
2+4, then 3 is the factory default; this is like having "password" for a password.
Short term, the lovely black finish allows you to determine which keys are used, as dust shows up really well on the unused keys - indeed, you could plant your own disclosing agent.
If 3 simultaneous buttons is the combo and you know this, there would only be 10 possibilities. Very quick and easy to brute force. And of course if button wear reveals which buttons to press, then there is only one option.
@@wingracer1614 Both mine and LPL's number of permutations are based on the three very silver keys being the most probable. I am only highlighting the extra 3 button press, which LPL hadn't gleaned from the manual. Not trying to take anything away from his content ...or argue that painted buttons won't work! 🙂
@@MC-hx6nk Wasn't criticizing you, just pointing out that making a combination lock that uses 5 choose 3 for its combinations is a really bad idea as that only gives 10 possible combinations. And button wear on such a lock wouldn't just reduce the options, it would give you the exact combo.
The simple way to avoid the problem is to require that all five buttons are used for every combination.
IMO, this _is_ a design failure as much as a user failure, because it is designed in such a way that ordinary wear and tear seriously compromises security. A better design would give all the buttons a polished but unvarnished top to start with, so that wear would be less visible.
it's a "thought failure", as in nobody thought about it. I do food delivery on the side after work, and can guess an entry code into most apartment gates. This is because the number/letters are embedded in the buttons just like an old house phone. Skin/dirt/whatever rubs off after 20 years, and fills the outlines on the buttons, and plus there are 100+ tenants. So if pound-4 5 6 7 are almost flat, and hard to read, I just try a few variations of 6 5 4 7 # (or try pound first), and usually get in.
I was really hoping it wasnt 3-4-5 but once again humanity disappoints
He did compliment the mechanism more than most locks. So I'd trust it more than most if the buttons were well maintained to solve the wear issue.
2+4, 3 is also the default on the vertical 5 button locks used by the Air Force!
Locks like these need replaceable keycaps. The top half, maybe third, of the post unscrews, and you put a new one on. (Somewhere in America, a teen gamer will try to replace them with RGB lights.)
Would love to see a disassembly video on this lock showing on the internals work.
"One! One! One! ...er... ONE!"
-Soldier
Incoommmiiiinnnngg!
I used to support a London-wide organisation, where nearly all the push-button locks were [2&4] then 3, even though the buttons were arranged vertically. A few years later I visited a completely different site, and to the local guy's surprise, opened the computer room door first time.😊
Before I watch... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. I have the same combo on my luggage.
Eta after watch - I was close
We had these in our college dorms. It took about 30m to just brute force them. It was a good solution for making sure someone didn't walk in on you by accident which was all the protection we needed (but even we changed the combos...even if mostly just for silly games).
I'm a simple man. I see an LPL video, I hit the like button. 😎
Have the ring that the pins are carried in be the latch turning mechanism. That way you increment the pin locations every use.
Back in the 1970's, I worked for a savings bank that used this very lock on a storage vault for computer cards and tapes.
If you feel and listen while you try the buttons, you can determine when you pressed a good number by feel, rather like decoding a number wheel lock.
The combo was changed weekly, and decoding became trivial.
even without the wear and tear giving you a clue, if you use a pair press, your total possible combos is 5*4*3*2=120, and if you don't use a pair, it's only 5*4*3=60..... you can try a lot in a very short amount of time. and a lot of people don't even know about the option to use a pair
Restroom where studied had a similar issue with the number pad being worn. I still remember the code: 4711, like the famous eau de Cologne.
Video that ends with public service announcement.
Nice! 😊
We had that model lock on our IT room, combo was 1 & 4, 2 & 3, 5. I'm interested to see if LPL could decode a brand new one of that model lock (so no finish wear on the buttons) with someone changing the combo to one he doesn't already know...including simultaneous buttons.
Brilliant video! It's like a lock that defeats itself with use! 😂 When a worn-out button becomes the perfect clue… it’s definitely time for a combo change! Thanks for the lesson, I’ll keep checking hospital doors! 👀
You can also rub UV powder on them, and come back some time later, and use a UV light and see which buttons were pressed. I have one of these locks, and when I first received it, I didn't know the combo, took about 15 minutes of trying using a list of every possible combo. Since you can't use a number twice, it narrows the possibilities down to less than 2000, iirc.
Many years ago we had a similar lock into the part of the building where our engineering team worked. The company would change the code once a month and nobody could ever remember the code. So one engineer read up on the lock and found out that to change the code all you needed was the current code and an allen wrench. So after they'd changed the code he'd change the code back to the old code that had been used when he first started doing that. So we always knew the code. And when he left work the day before they were going to change the code he'd change it back so the company could change the code. That went on for about 6 months before anyone else noticed. Nobody got in trouble though. When you have a room full of engineers you're happy if the only mischief they they get up to is to play games with the lock. We did other things too though, most of which nobody ever found out ;)
I am looking forward to a potential follow-up video with a guided tour through the interiors of this guy. I remember we had a linearly arranged version of this theme in a lab I used to work at, probably using sliding instead of rotating plates.
Imagine, how much better this lock would be, if the buttons panel would rotate one position at a time after each opening!
I have fond memories of these locks from my time at Uni.
These are beautiful locks. I've seen some hotels that used them. They'd change the combination everytime someone checked out.
Always fascinated by simplex locks.
We used to have this exact lock on the door to our office at a combatant command headquarters. I don't remember the paint wearing off the buttons, but we changed the combo often enough to not have it be an issue.
Masterlock hates this one simple trick
These locks were on all the latrines overseas in the southern hemisphere about 6 years ago, allegedly.
I still remember those from my first days working at Walgreens. Still don't miss them, though.😅
Great information, As usual. Thanks.
definitely 3 4 5 based on the loss of color
Not 135?
@@AJ-alt no
We used those on our UPS dropboxes for next Day Air packages. We did use the dual button combinatios and our buttons weren't painted. They were all chrome. And just like America's nuclear missle sites, the combinations were kept to 1 2-3 4. Easy to remember.
Would have loved to see a tear-down of this lock!
My first job had one of these. I was a summer temp, so they didn't give me the code and I had to wait until they came to let me in. With no intercom/phone/etc. to get anyone's attention, I was literally left waiting with no way of knowing when the guy I was working with would ever bother to come to the door after I was sent off to get a tool. So I looked at the buttons and the wear pattern was really obvious from most to least wear.
I got it on the first try, and the guy was very surprised to see me show up in the middle of his long conversation with someone.
There was one of these locks on the door to a secure storage room in my first job - it, too, used the default combination of 2 + 4 then 3 but the buttons were the same colour as the rest of the housing. I have a feeling this particular lock was used as it was recommended by the job's insurance company.
Remove the finish from the buttons, sand occasionally to make the wear pattern look even.
345 I've got the same combination on my Luggage!!!
Esrin: How did you get in here? It took me months to figure out the combination!
Rayla: I just posted the buttons with the jelly handprints.
Wow thank you so much
This is definitely one I'd like to see a cutaway demo of. We have a similar version at work and I've always wondered how they do it.
I gotta say, I love your thumbnails, they scream old retired man that doesn't get the internet and yet they ooze so much personality, like my grandma sends me those emoticons, it's so nice.
Changing the combination after the buttons have worn down kind of adds an extra layer of security in a way too since people may be inclined to write off the two un-worn buttons and thus... bamboozle themselves.
i took a long train ride when i was 10 with my mom. i brought along a barrel style cheap combination lock that i found and did not know the 4 digit combination. i thought i would kill time trying to guess. never got it but when i came home i threw it on my desk and it opened !! 1624. i will never forget that.
I'd definitely sand off the finish for the buttons.
we used to use one of these at an old office for my work. and the combination was..... 2+4 then 3! I never knew this was the default.
I've worked in three hospitals now and the combination for most doors in all of them are 1, 2, 3, 4...
Oh, so to wear evenly, you could do something like 2+4, 3+5, 1
If there's anything I learned from LPL videos. Locks are just a deterrent. If you want to step it up a notch, bright flash lights, loud horn, and a camera to catch them in the act with a little sign saying "now live on [streaming website]" (even if it's not).
Just a side question (based on your note that that hospitals keep the default settings.) - In the UK, the most popular 4 digit code for alarm's and door access was 1066 (year or the Norman invasion), In Ireland 1916 (after the failed Easter rising) - would it be 1776 in the US?
A lock straight out of a videogame
The best option is to use all the buttons.
Nice to see it need to be the right sequence.
Wow, a less secure combination that 1-2-3-4-5? Someone inform President Skroob!
The Michigan Airport door lock. 😊
Thank you. very helpful
I have done this to mates apartment combination locks.
I look at fat or wear and tear on them and they always use 4 numbers.
So just repeat different patterns and you get in. Every, single, time.
QUESTIONS:
- How do you change that -licks- locks combination?
- If needed, how do you go about picking this type of lock?
- Are these more secure than, regular pin locks?
- Are these locks still available for purchase?
- What would this type of lick be used for? A cabinet, a drawer or like an actual people door? 😂
- Can you open this one up to show us the guts? Or was this a loaner for the vid?
Thank you for the years of interesting content. You saved my arse while I was on vacation. A medication was under lock & key. Key was misplaced. Medication was needed. So... smashed lock with another lock & wouldn't you know, it _actually_ freakin' worked!? You saved the day, my good Sir. Thanks. 😂😂😂❤
Good questions! Also hope for a deep dive into the guts of this lock.
@@DreadX10 YES! I just love guts & all the secrets that they hold. Why isn't everything transparently see through?? Especially people, right? Wait... was that a little bit _too_ weird? Reign it in Hunny, Reign. It. TF. In woman... yer scaring these nice folks here! 😭💀
2:00 It's not just hospitals. Every bank that I've ever worked at used the default discussed here.
There are literally hundreds of these locks on the doors of Nokia Bell Labs in N.J. And yup, many are hard to open due to their age and constant usage.
Like grease on a keypad…
that's like the touch keypad locks where you can see all the fingerprints because it's never cleaned 🤣.
Glad my pushbutton is 12-4-35 so they all get worn evenly😂
One could argue that a designer could foresee this being a problem that should be addressed if they were designing for a spevific application. Even if you could expect people to change the default combination when they first get a lot (if they don't, there is little you can do), it is very common for them to keep that combination unless they have are forced to change it, especially if the process to change the combination requires instructions (that they probably lost with the first year of operation).
While you can't realistically have a mechanical lock force people to change their password, you can make the buttons so they don't wear out in such an obvious way. Did they *need* to have black tips? Anybody designing a system should at least attempt to think about how the end user will behave. You can't predict everything and the user should be held responsible for their actions, but you are making a thing that will be used.
That said, making the order the buttons are pressed matter definitely makes this lock superior to many similar mechanical button locks and means that a casual intruder may need to take a few tries to get it correct. Still pretty trivial, but a lot of people are lazy and, if the place is well-traveled, you might not want to linger.
The ability to press multiple buttons at once is an interesting feature, but I wonder if that would make it more difficult to communicate the code to somebody unfamiliar with such a lock. If you just use single buttons, you can just write down "3 4 5" and anybody would understand. If you have multiple simultaneous buttons in a step, you'd need to explain or demonstrate the lock. People will often place convenience over security.
"I see the [default factory setting] used in hospitals all the time." Now I'm imagining LPL stuck in a hospital for some kind of overnight stay, totally being THAT patient, the one who will NOT stay in their room, except instead of trying to flirt w/the nurses, he's giving them a run-down of the weaknesses of the hospital security and the dangers (and legal liabilities) of using poor locks on the pharmacy doors. 🤣🤣🤣
This is the type of lock used for the bathrooms at the pool where my grandparents lived when I was growing up. Were very temperamental, and one time my brother got stuck inside the bathroom because it wouldn't re-open.
I can't help but think the alternate option is to make all the buttons equally worn by taking off the finish, or using one that doesn't wear very easily.
You could wire brush the paint off. A soak in acetone will probably do most of it. No reason to have paint except for looks. Even the cheapest steel won't hardly rust being handled all the time.
Nice lock 👍
Deserves a second video.
It's like in video games when you come up to keypads and 4 of the numbers are faded or dirty lmao...
Sadly, lazyness is an extremely powerful foe. It would take a Herculean effort to make locks hard to pick as they would also be complicated to unlock normally I would think, and that is where they lazy comes into its own... Love the vids LPL! Please don't stop the boogie.
There are some locks that open just like any other lock but are very difficult (I won't say impossible but really, they might as well be if only 5 people in the world can pick it and it takes them 30 minutes or more to do it) to pick. Bowley and Medico come to mind.
There’s a 5-in-a-row one I know that’s finally being polished so it’s hard to tell what the three buttons of the combination actually are. For many months it was obvious, just not what order - not many possibilities, of course.
Lpl raked my gyatt after he already succesfully picked his way in🤭