New lock is screwed

I got one of those Master alpha numeric locks that can be set to your own combo,,,i changed it after i got it and it worked,,changed the combo for a second time and did not work,,so i tried the previous combo, as well as the original one,,,i reverted back to trying the recent one with a no go,,I decided to try each combo one number/letter before and after each one of my set combo..My question is how many combos would there be for HJL,,,678,,,89A,,these are the three block i came up with..how many combo options...if that makes sense ...while i was setting i may have been off or jarred it by one click in either direction of either number/letter

2000xlt said:

I got one of those Master alpha numeric locks that can be set to your own combo,,,i changed it after i got it and it worked,,changed the combo for a second time and did not work,,so i tried the previous combo, as well as the original one,,,i reverted back to trying the recent one with a no go,,I decided to try each combo one number/letter before and after each one of my set combo..My question is how many combos would there be for HJL,,,678,,,89A,,these are the three block i came up with..how many combo options...if that makes sense ...while i was setting i may have been off or jarred it by one click in either direction of either number/letter

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You have a choice of three digits on the first wheel , three digits on the second wheel and three on the the third wheel ... 3 X 3 X 3 = 27 combinations to try ... If you have four wheels it would be 27 X 3 = 81.

My Wife had a problem with a lock on a briefcase ... It had three dials from 0 to 9 ... It was set at the original 000 and one of her colleagues fiddled with it and altered the combination ... When she brought it home , she asked me to break the lock to open the case ... I could have started at 000 and worked to 999 which would have been 1000 tries.
I found that by trying to open the catch with the wrong combination , it made the wheels move slightly ... I rotated the first wheel and after a few tries , it stopped moving but the other two were still moving ... That meant that the first wheel was at the correct number ... I left it there and did the same for the second wheel till it stopped moving ... I did the same with the third wheel and when it was at the correct digit , the case opened ... We then set the lock to my Wifes chosen numbers ... I told my Wife that whenever she opened the case at work , to turn all the dials at random ... That prevented anyone from altering her chosen combination ... You may be able to open yours this way.

If the worst happens , you will have to go through every possible combination ... In my Wifes case , it would have been 10 X 10 X 10 = 1000 ... That becomes very tedious as you can't miss out a combination ... I always use key operated locks.
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I thought it was cool because it was re-settable and alpha numeric,,,i may try to shim it open, granted it is an "anti shim" lock...if i can shim it i can use the key to re set it..if not i have to figure out the combos

Thank You

is there a website where you can enter info to show all combinations

How many dials are on the lock and how many characters/numbers are on each dial?

1 dial,,,numbers are 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9---letters,A,D,E,H,J,L,N,R,S,T...it is a alpha numeric combination lock

This is why I really prefer locks that require a dedicated security key instead. (That, plus I know one day I'll forget the combination.)

march. is right. you can open it quite easily by feel and ear.

Opening a multiple-dial lock without the combination depends on the slight irregularities in the machining of the parts. Unless the lock is machined precisely, when the pin is pulled outward, one of the teeth will pull more strongly than the others on its corresponding disc. This disc is then rotated until a slight click is heard, indicating that the tooth has settled into the notch. The procedure is repeated for the remaining discs, resulting in an open lock, and a correct combination, in very little time.

That lock should have 36x36x36 or 46,656 different combinations. As far as "picking" the briefcase lock I am betting the mechanism is cheaper allowing for you to detect the individual tumblers hitting the right number I doubt the masterlock is going to be done that way. My advice is to write down the two combinations you tried setting it at and the iterations of all numbers 1-3 digits on each dial both ways that would narrow it down considerably from over 46 thousand to about 700 or so

If i did 100 combos a day it would take 1.2 years....as far as cracking it, it does not have the feel like a standard master combo lock has while using a "combo cracking" technique

How much is the lock ? What is your time worth ?

Time to just buy a new lock...

not much...I tossed it,,,thanks for the help everyone..I just like to figure stuff out...in this case it would have been overkill

When I read this I began thinking of the movie Italian Job with Charlize Theron opening the safe.