First off there are three types of combo padlocks you will run into. I mean basically run into from brands from Brinks, Champ, masterlock, mountain security, and a couple of other things that i will not mention. But any way the three types are...
10 Gate - Easier because not too many combinations
12 Gate - Just as easy, just more combinations
1 Gate - Easiest - you know that last number, i think this is one that
Unbreakable was refering to.
10 Gate Locks
Ok first off the inside of a 10 gate lock looks like this
Notice that 9 gates are false, and one gate is true. The the other two wheels are round with just one gate in them.
Now to find the most probable combinations first find the gates. A combination lock says it is numbered from 0 to 39 which leads one to believe that there is 40 numbers. It makes you believe 40 x 40 x 40 = 64,000 possible combinations. This is not true at all. First off the numbers are usually never the same. Ex. 29, 4, 29. You will probablly never see that. So that knocks out a bunch of combinations. Then you will never see numbers close to each other. Ex. 2, 3, 4. They usally spread them out by at least 4 numbers. This lowers the combinations also. Another thing is it is usually a high number then a low number then a high number. meaning 36, 4, 29 or 5, 32, 12. This knocks out alot more combinations. Ok but back to finding the gates.
To find a gate, i usally start at 0 then pull up and move the dial to the left. you will feel a click and the shackle and dial are locked. move the dial while still holding up on the shackle and find the boundries of the first gate. move to the left it could be 1 move the the right, it could go to 5. This is the first gate! find the middle number between them. Ex 1,5 = 3. Now because of spaceing you can figure the rest of the gates by finding the next one. It ends up being 7. Now just add 4 to every gate to get the following gates. See Example:
1=3
2=7
3=11
4=15
5=19
6=23
7=27
8=31
9=35
10=39
Now that you have all the positions of the gates you know have only 10 numbers on the dial. That means instead of 64000 possibilites you are down to 1000. Plus the things we said about numbers close to each other and high low high or low high low. here is a chart on how to start pluging in the possibilities.
Ok. Like i said earlier, You dont have a number that is 2, 3, 4 so you can cross out the first two rows of the chart. you also dont get numbers 38,0,1 so you can cross out the last two rows. Do this remembering you might have to go back to use these numbers later.
Now lets start at 19. spin the dial 3 times to the left then go to 19, then go right to 31. Now going left, move from gate to gate pulling up on the shackle till you get to the 31 gate. If you get there, then no the right combo, cross out 31 and move down to the next number on the list. This takes a long time but hey, it works after a while, usually in 15 to 20 minutes. If 19 is not the first number i like to jump either 2 gates to the left of 19 or two gates to the right. Ex. Start with 11 or 27 and go down the list like you did 19. Here is an example of a chart that solves the combination! I like to pretend I am playing battleshipe and make patterens and such.
It only took me 31 combinations. That is alot less then 64000! There you go easy as cake, no?
Twelve Gate Locks
You find the combos for the 12 the same as the 10 gate. There are just more possiblities because of the extra two gates. No problem though. Here is a video of finding the gates of a 12 gate lock. Sorry My camera does not work too well so just take my word for what I am saying. I am also not good at narrating, so yeah. I messed up too. I said 5.5 and 6.5 = 5? i meant 6. Pretend i did it right i panic when on camera.
Click here to watch How-to-find-gates MOVIE MOVIE
I found my gates are my Masterlock to be:
1=2.5
2=6
3=9
4=12.5
5=16
6=19
7=22.5
8=26
9=29
10=32.5
11=36
12=39
Here is the chart for that. You know how to figure out the chart? yes? I hope so. I crossed out the first two lines and the last two lines because probability says that it won't be those numbers.
Now start pluging them in and find the same as the 10 gate. Just more numbers to plug. Play battle ship and find them numbers!!!
It took a bunch more combos, but in the end you can find the combinations.
One Gate Locks
These are the two different types of One gate locks. Ones with just one true gate, and ones that have a false gate right before the true gate. easy to solve. Start at zero and move the dial to the right till you feel the gate. Simple as that. You should not be able to pull out of it if it is a true gate. The lock i am using is an example of the left picture. See the video.
Click here to watch Find-the-true-gate MOVIE MOVIE
Now this is the Third number! so you know X,Y,30.5 right now. you will see in the video that the gate is from 29.5 to 31.5. Now from that you can go around moving 2 spaces from 31.5 all around. This give you certain numbers. Use this chart to help you build the probablility chart.
Now find what row the number 30.5 is located. looks like row 2, no? Now use that and build a chart from it that will look like this:
Now solve the same way as you would a 12 gate lock, but now you know the third number, so go straight to that one. You do not have to pull up on the shackle when going around the lock. Just go straight to the third number. But now we know the 3rd number we know that usually number are at least a gate away, or in this case 2 number, we can cross out 27 and 34 because it is unlikely that these will be used in the overall combination.
and there you go. Just start playing battleship again.
I hope this is helpful to anyone, that wants to find the numbers to a combo padlock they lost. It works, just takes some time is all. Good luck!!![/b]
