How to crack a defconcl combo lock

[Providence]

How to pick Defcon CL combination lock with off-white cover.

Exterior looks like:

http://www.walkernews.net/wp-content/up ... oncl-a.jpg

There are some videos on how to pick it with a shim in the end, but it does not work on ones with off-white plastic.

This is how the lock works, imperfect but gives a good idea:

http://imgur.com/flKdn.png

This is how you may bypass it:

The whole thing comes down to feeling out unusual friction as you turn the wheel due to imperfect manufacturing. (they are all more or less imperfect)

1. Push down on the button. Keep pushing it down the whole time you are cracking.

2. Start spinning a wheel, I like to start from the far end.

3. This is the biggest part. Listen, feel for a click, pop, or any odd sound or feeling. Basically you are feeling for one of the fingers to get a little bit stuck or behave a little differently because they are clipping the edge of the hole they may have been over.
When you notice such a click or a pop, turn the wheel back to the number, that turning from brought a "click" and turn it to and from that number, both ways, feeling for "clicks". If after doing this you feel like that number may represent a hole because of the clicks surrounding it, then you have a possible number. If it is a a number another number will be 3 numbers away in either or both rotations (so subtract or add three). You may or may not feel these as well. Repeat this process on each wheel, leaving the wheels at the numbers you have found.

4. If you have truly found a number on each of three succeswheel where at least one of the fingers is positioned over a hole, then once you get to the fourth number, turn it around until it is stuck. The other wheels will now be stuck too. They will also stick on the other holes. They are spaced *-o-3-o-3-o-6-*, or 90, 90, 180. Just look at the image I have provided. You're pretty much home free at this point.

5. Now we are looking to to have the number represent the middle hole. So simply turn each wheel until it is stuck on a number which is surrounded by a number on each side which is 3 turns away and it becomes stuck on. Once you have done this for each wheel, the lock will open.

Let me know if anyone has some good tricks for finding notches in combination locks.

I may upload a video later if there is a demand.

[pin_pusher]

i've been struggling with a kensington combo rope-lock for laptops, found without a combination. every once and a while i'll depress the little laptop insert or turn the dial on the end and move the wheels about to see if anything happens, no luck. i figure if i'm bored around the house, which isn't often, i'll just sit around and spin the dials...odds are EVENTUALLY i'll stumble across the code. i'll see if your method works for this lock too. thanks for the tutorial.

[nathane]

You can also open these locks using a small straight shim (use a sliver cut from a pop can). If you look at the end of the combination section of the lock, you'll see a flad head screw. With the unlock button facing you, push the shim into the side of the screw facing you. It should enter fairly easily and come into contact with the first disc. Turn the disc to each number setting, each time proding at the disc lightly with the shim. You will find that the shim will pass the gate at one of the numbers. Write this number down as seen in the number selection hole on the side of the lock.

Repeat this for each of the remaining discs while leaving the previous disc where it is.

Now remove the shim and take the numbers you've identified and subtact 3 from each one (or just turn each disc backwards three numbers). The resulting numbers/setting is the code to open the lock.

[nathane]

Just to clarify, when the procedure I identified in my last post was for the DefconCL lock, not the kensington referred to in the second post here.

[pin_pusher]

thanks a bunch, i'll give it a shot...now to locate ma tin snips.

[doppleganger]

I think i discovered the fastest way to decode a defconcl
https://33ad.org/tmp/onr/defconcl_vuln.avi

once you get a set position, "click", you'll be done in seconds...no adding or subtracting