ironwill04 wrote:Wheel 1 is the first wheel the drive cam picks up, meaning it is the last number in the combination,
and from cam to dial it is wheel 1, wheel 2, wheel 3? Or do i have this backward?
Good question Wil. And yeah, you have it backwards. Adjacent to the drive cam is not w1, but
w3.
Confusing at first because... although
it is the first to be picked up... it is the
LAST to be dialed.
Wheel 3 corresponds to the 3rd (and final) number of your 3-number combination. Lets say you have
a 4-wheel lock? Nearest the drive cam is w4. It's the last wheel to be dialed/positioned and corresponds
with the last number of your 4-number combination. So I guess, think in terms of the order in which the
wheels are positioned to play out the combination, rather than the order in which they get picked up.
Also, we always talk of wheels in reference to the drive cam rather than the dial. Reason being -
cams can be front-mounted or rear-mounted depending on the lock. Meaning the cam might be
closest to the dial (ie. dial, drivecam, wheelpack)... or... the cam might be
furthest from the
dial (ie. the wheelpack now sets
between the dial and drive cam). So you see, the dial -
drivecam relationship may change. But one thing that always remains constant is that...
the last wheel to be positioned for your combination will always be closest to the cam.
Similarly, you'll run into the same mix up in regards to left and right contact points. It will
depend upon what piece of literature you're reading and whether they're viewing the lock
from the front or the back, lol. Traditionally the lock should be viewed from the front, as
if you had x-ray vision looking through the dial and at the drive cam's gate. But not all
authors stick with the universal lingo.
Lets make it real simple. Say you're working with an S&G lock who's CP's are 6 and 14.
The
LEFT contact point is
6 ..... and the
RIGHT contact point is
14.
So, you will turn right (cw) to touch your LCP @ 6
And you will turn left (ccw) to touch your RCP @ 14