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Magnets to replace drivers/springs

PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 10:17 am
by LocksmithArmy
Ok ladies and gents, Im sure most of you (especially the lock modders around here) have considered this... well i wanted to try it...

problem is getting standard pin sized magnets is not easy to find... so i had to special order some...

here is whats up... minimum order is 500... i dont need that many...
anyone want any... but you gotta buy em... here is my quote... its not too cheap but its not too expensive i guess...

NdFeB DISC Magnet
2.9mm (0.114in) diameter x 2mm (0.079in) thick
Grade N42, Nickel (Ni-Cu-Ni) Plated, Axially Magnetized
Qty 500 @ $0.30 each (minimum order quantity)
Qty 1000 @ $0.26 ea.

looks like 30usd will get you 100 please PM me and ill count how many interested people i got and make the order... no clue when ill make the order i guess when i have enough people wanting some...

i can only imagine the things ff can do with these beauties...

Re: Magnets to replace drivers/springs

PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 10:46 am
by Solomon
I've thought about it... if both the drivers and key pins were magnetised and mounted at the bottom without springs it'd be very difficult to pick... you'd need to use a magnet to lift them all at once, trap them there with tension then set them from there... and if they don't bind all at once then you've got a problem, cos lifting them with a magnet would require super light tension... and if you spooled the key pins, that'd make this approach extremely difficult.

Re: Magnets to replace drivers/springs

PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 11:36 am
by LocksmithArmy
while thats a neat idea... these are all the same size... so youd basically get 2 of em... 1 at the top repelling another into the keypin sothat the bottom magnet is the driver and the 2 together make the spring force... thats my diea... but if you modify them (or order longer ones) it would work making the drivers and keypins atract ... neat idea

Re: Magnets to replace drivers/springs

PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 2:52 pm
by sandman
fuck yeah, i see what your saying, and by making them the appropriate lengths, it would be impossible to just use a larger magnet to rise them into the 'bible' of the cylinder, because they will be too long, you HAVE to find the sheer line,

my question is, why not make a patent on the idea instead of buying them. am i missing something? is there already a patent? why are you buying them, just to pick a lock with magnets? i dont understand other than its a badass fail proof locks

Re: Magnets to replace drivers/springs

PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 3:52 pm
by LocksmithArmy
idk... just to make locks with magnetic pins... hadnt thought about patenting it... i just wanna do it...
y hasnt ff patented most of his ideas lol (some lock company could bank off this site)

i need some backers tho or the project dies... if ur wantin to play with the idea let me know... ill ship you magnets as soon as they arrive (but i wont order till i have some backers cause im not droppin 150 on a lil project)

Re: Magnets to replace drivers/springs

PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 4:08 pm
by Dopug
Nice idea mae.

Why not buy a small Neodymium alloy bar and turn it down to size on a lathe? woud be far cheaper. I'm sure if you looked hard enough you culd even salvage a magnet from some other device, and if you know any one with a lathe or if theres a small engineering workshop near you you coudpay them to do it maybe.

Re: Magnets to replace drivers/springs

PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 6:50 pm
by LocksmithArmy
finding a lathe will be an issue... and... itd still have to be the exact size 2.9mm.. 3mm is tho thick... 1/8th inch is too big too... i think this is a good size

It would be nice to get some different lengthed ones tho...

Re: Magnets to replace drivers/springs

PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:14 pm
by barbarian
Dopug wrote:Nice idea mae.

Why not buy a small Neodymium alloy bar and turn it down to size on a lathe? .......


Almost impossible to machine with normal tools. Think EDM or abrasives.

Re: Magnets to replace drivers/springs

PostPosted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:48 pm
by sandman
well, you might want to consider holding off on the buy, i think lots of gents will put in for it, but the ratyoke auctions are about to his, fuck, im even too broke to enter that fucking game! fucking va is taking too long to aprove my shit. i would help you out but im broke, only money i have to my name...about 300 bucks a month goes into gas for driving to the academy every day, im having to travel 100miles a day.

i say just hold off on it, advertise on lp101 too, get a bunch of guys in on it, with a months notice.

Re: Magnets to replace drivers/springs

PostPosted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 1:20 am
by Dopug
barbarian wrote:
Dopug wrote:Nice idea mae.

Why not buy a small Neodymium alloy bar and turn it down to size on a lathe? .......


Almost impossible to machine with normal tools. Think EDM or abrasives.



I've been looking into this as I always like a machining challenge, I've worked as a machinist on and off for years, I used to turn a compressed tungsten powder rod down into tips used on anodes for high pressure lasers, i got told that couldn't be done, but managed it on a 40 year old colchester lathe with some cheap chinese carbide tips. it seems pure compressed neodymium is near impossibe to turn. However a neodymium alloys can be turned with carbide tips pretty easily.

If you can find any neodymium, iron alloys, this would probably be easy to turn with normal tools.

or a neodymium, epoxy mix, (not epoxy coated) this to might be workable.

Looks like it will lose it's magnetism at high temps, but this will return with cooling and a little time.

I don't have access to a lathe but if i can find some alloys I'll get some of my old work buddies to have a go at turning this for you. What are the dimensions?

Re: Magnets to replace drivers/springs

PostPosted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 6:32 am
by barbarian
Did you check McMaster Carr?

http://www.mcmaster.com/#rare-earth-magnets/=bxz48u

They have a bunch of sizes near the bottom of the page.

Re: Magnets to replace drivers/springs

PostPosted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 7:19 am
by LocksmithArmy
sandman wrote:well, you might want to consider holding off on the buy, i think lots of gents will put in for it, but the ratyoke auctions are about to his, fuck, im even too broke to enter that fucking game! fucking va is taking too long to aprove my shit. i would help you out but im broke, only money i have to my name...about 300 bucks a month goes into gas for driving to the academy every day, im having to travel 100miles a day.

i say just hold off on it, advertise on lp101 too, get a bunch of guys in on it, with a months notice.


in light of this info... I think i will hold off...
but t=keep the conversation going, all the info cant hurt thats for sure... when the time comes we will all be more informed...

Re: Magnets to replace drivers/springs

PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 7:51 am
by Dougq1300
While this is a good idea to play around with, you cannot ever get this design to market. Underwriters Laboratories (all locks sold have a UL rating) requires that all components within a lock must be non magnetic. This is done so you can't manipulate a lock with a magnet. The same reason all pins in a pin tumbler are made of brass along with (i'll guess 90% of keys, the other 10% are made of aluminum). I'd love to see what you can do with magnets anyway.

Re: Magnets to replace drivers/springs

PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 8:49 am
by GWiens2001
Then how do you explain the other magnetic locks on the market? Kind of hard to convince us that the EVVA MCS is not capable of standing up to those tests.

Gordon

Re: Magnets to replace drivers/springs

PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 9:51 am
by Dougq1300
Gordon,
For magnetic locks, you'll have a magnet, usually at the top of the door, that when it is powered, the door is locked. There is also an electric strike that is controlled by a solenoid to lock or unlock the strike. The UL rating refers to the key and the cylinder that it operates. (Now, I could be wrong on some of these points, but the general idea is correct). This being said, mag locks and electric strikes are something that cannot be manipulated with a magnet.