Post Sun Jul 18, 2010 6:10 pm

Re: abloy protec tool impressioning video link

I've thought about this a bunch and would like to hear what some of the members here think about it. I was hoping the tool would be available by now or perhaps there would be some more buzz.

So how does this sound?
The basic idea of the lock is a series of discs that are turned to varying degrees by the key. When the key has passed through about 90 degrees of rotation the disc blocking system becomes effective. At this time individual rotation of the discs is prevented by the two little round pins that jam into the discs and prevent movement.

The discs and plug are turned as one from here on, but only if the sidebar is aligned with a slot in each disc. There are a number of false slots for the sidebar to hang up on and there are a number of notches for the disc blocking system.

If all the discs were turned correctly except one, then that one would be held by the disc blocker, or be trapped in a false sidebar notch and make picking difficult.

What I think is happening.
The guy starts out with the key in the lock and draws a red mark to show the disc movements. Then he puts in the tool and seems to turn the large knob 90 degrees and then back again. When the large knob has been turned the 90 degrees, he twists a bit on a smaller knob. You can see there is no relative rotation between the two knobs by the set screw holes in the bottoms. He then goes back to the original position and repeats the 90 degree movements. Each time you can see the red index marks moving slightly until the lock opens.

Now we know that if an uncut key was placed in the lock, all the discs would be turned too far. You can see a couple of the red marks looking like they are turned too far and slowly backing up until the lock is picked. This indicates to me that the series of pins on the tool are getting shorter each time the tool is cycled 90 degrees.

Another piece of info about the locks. Due to the different size of the sidebar notch and disc blocker notch, the two don't line up with their respective pins/sidebar at the same time. So that if the disc blocker is engaged, the sidebar will not be in the valley of one of the false notches. It will be sitting up high on the peaks. Also if the sidebar is held in a false notch, when the disc blocking system engages, the little notches for the round pins won't exactly line up. Is this enough weakness for the tool to work ? Does it slowly sneak up on the correct rotations of the discs by exploiting this difference of a few degrees ?

I see two areas where the video does not really agree with my theory, and also some potential difficulty in making the tool. The tool looks like a series of small pins pressed through a shaft. The spacing would be about 1.5 mm or .060 of an inch. Not impossible but challenging. Also what exactly is the small knob doing ? Could it just be twisting the smaller shaft ? If the tool relies on friction alone to hold the series of small pins, how is it reset for the next lock ? Could the small knob be a friction type adjustment that releases the pins and then holds them firmly in a new position for the next cycle ?


Any thoughts??