Van Lock Info

[Chucklz]

I've not seen a vanmatic lock, but if I remember reading correctly, the "change" key can be removed from any position, not just the neutral position. Thus, the "new" key is just the old key with its combination shifted around by one unit.

[greyman]

I've not seen a vanmatic lock, but if I remember reading correctly, the "change" key can be removed from any position, not just the neutral position. Thus, the "new" key is just the old key with its combination shifted around by one unit.

I had a look at the Van lock site posted earlier, where the instructions for rekeying a vanmatic lock are:

http://vanlock.com/vanamatic_instructions.htm

I don't have one of these in my hand so I'm trying to figure out what is going on inside this beastie. It seems that the change keys can only be removed at 90 degrees. In this position, pin number 6 (counting clockwise from 1 o'clock) is positioned over the blank space (position 8 ). Removing the key in this position brings all pins back up to the top surface of the lock, so there must be a driver pin in the blank position. My theory is (and I can't verify it since I don't have one of these locks) that there is a stack of master pins in the blank position. There must be 8 different shear lines to allow for 8 different change keys. Each change key will "select" a different shear line at position 8, and when turned back to the normal locked position, will function as a standard axial lock. The pins in the blank chamber don't come into play normally since the operating keys cannot be removed at 90 degrees. If this theory is right, the Vanmatic lock can only have 7 usable pin positions since the 8th is needed for recombinating.

So for instance, a series of 8 change keys could be:

1234567 (pin positions)

1. 7546613
2. 7546623
3. 7546633
4. 7546643
5. 7546653
6. 7546663
7. 7546673
8. 7546683

Can someone with a Vanmatic lock confirm this theory for me?

I think this description differs from what is in Tobias' book, where if I recall there is a mention that pins are removable.

[greyman]

I just realised what I wrote before about vanmatic is wrong. The idea that there is a hidden stack of master pins in the 8th pin position won't work because adding an extra pin to position 6 will allow the original and the new operating key to both work the lock.

I hope someone can help explain this...

[greyman]

OK I give up. I think Chucklz's description of vanmatic is the most likely. Reading the van lock site instructions is confusing unless you have one of their locks to play with, which I don't. It sounds like you insert the first change key and turn it 90 degrees but then the second change key is turned back an unspecified amount. If all you are supposed to do is rotate two spaces clockwise with one change key and then back one space with the next change key, it's a pretty simple idea - no master pins needed. On the other hand you'll only ever get 8 different keys out of this system, but that's probably OK for a Coke machine.