Posted 03.09.2011 at 6:37 pm
14 Comments
The Lock-Cracking 'Bot
Cracking combination locks has never been so easy. A group of engineering students at Olin College of Engineering have built a robot that will solve any MasterLock combination in a under two hours by running through all the possible combinations. Just set it and forget it.
The hardware system is pretty simple: a clamp that holds the lock in place, a stepper motor that spins the combination, and a solenoid grabber that continuously pulls on the lock to see if it’s open. What’s more impressive is the LockCracker software the team built. Put the lock--that is, YOUR lock--in place, launch the software, and walk away. The software runs until the combination is solved; your left with an unlocked combo lock and the combination displayed on the screen.
How long it takes to crack a lock simply depends, but if you know any one of the numbers you can plug it/them into the software to significantly cut the time spent spinning the dial. And you do remember at least one of the numbers, right? Because that is your lock you’re cracking--RIGHT?
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I don't know any practical solutions for this as there are easier ways to crack a lock but never less it is entertaining.
I love the ingenuity but bolt cutters are only $30.
so wait is it brute force crunching all the different combinations? how can it tell when it has one tumbler right and not the other?
there has to be an instructable on this!
"your left with an unlocked combo lock and the combination displayed on the screen."
should probably check the difference between "your" and
"you're"
Given this is just a master lock, get a big hammer you will either break the lock or what it is connected to in a few whacks. Trying all combinations, what a bad way to do it for such a simple lock.
You guys who suggest smashing or cutting the lock are thinking too short-term. Sometimes leaving the lock in place while knowing the combination will produce a better result. That way you can open the lock as often as you want without anybody being made aware of it. But if you just cut it or break it, now they know what's going on, and can make changes/investigate accordingly. =)
@marcoreid- You beat me to it. The mark of a good thief is to leave no mark at all!
I'm sure it would be an investment worth looking into it you own a health club or gym, especially at a university. There are hundreds of locks left at these places, usually open, so you would only have two numbers to determine.
They could resell the locks and make all their money back!
Awesome, so next time I want to break into a locker at a high school, I just have to hook this "robot" up and keep the kid away for about two hours so I can break in. I will never have to pay for Proactiv Solution and Pencil shavings again!
I know a lot of people who have had to throw out locks because they had stored them without the combination taped to them or the tape/tag falling off.
Forgetting is one of several reasons that many schools no longer allow students to bring locks from home.
This machine solves those problems.
#1 on a burglar's Christmas wish list.
2 Hours?! I challenge any other school to make a useful solution that uses a microphone or other observation method that would crack it in at least 1/60th of the time. Not that I need to crack any padlocks, but if I did I certainly would not want to take 2 hours to do so.
Oh please, a Master Lock combination lock like the one shown is one of the most insecure products on the market. One can make a shim for the lock from a soda can. The method has been known for years.
Why waste 2 hours trying every combination, when you can just pop open the lock in 5-10 seconds.
A new video can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUilAoRzAj4. This version contains no licensed music, so it can viewed anywhere.