U Change cylinder okla. cty

by **raimundo** » 7 Jun 2005 9:48

someone has given me a new cylinder, marked U Change okla cty, it has an oversize plug, no movement between the plug and the cylinder, a tiny rectangular hole on the face of the plug. and my attempt at shimming it yeasterday ended after passing only one pin. The springs on this thing are very strong, and the keyway is an unknown shape, though not that different. Google for "U Change lock cylinder" gives some rudimentary information but no expanded diagram. It is said to have a lot of possible key changes that can be done with a change key (or something put in that tiny rectangular hole?) Does anyone have a schematic or expanded diagram for this or some advise on picking or dissasembly? is there a sidebar, has anyone picked one of these? :shock:

by **Shrub** » 7 Jun 2005 11:24

by **locksmistress** » 8 Jun 2005 12:52

Here's a link to a site with some ok pictures:

http://www.securitysolutions-usa.com/uchange.html

You have to page down a bit.

by **raimundo** » 8 Jun 2005 15:01

thanks lockmistress, I googled and found that company, but never saw those pictures till I followed your link.

by **Mad Mick** » 8 Jun 2005 17:29

How is the bitting changed in these locks?

by **Chucklz** » 16 Jun 2005 18:16

Ray sent a sample to me, and I have just sat down with it today. (OT the post was so slow on this...). Some general observations
1.) The keyway is huge. You have about a mm of horizontal clearance the entire keyway. Falle style picks would be great on these. But the keyway height is significantly less than your average mortise cylinder. The width sure makes up for this though.

2.) The plug is very large, much larger than the "standard .495 or .500. This even dwarfs my Yale plug follower. Yet the keyway only extends for less than half the diameter of the plug. On a generic schlage plug, the keyway extends approx 75% of the plug. Keep in mind that on this lock the keyway is shorter than the shlage lettered keyways and yet the plug is very large.
3.) 5 pins, but all spoon/mushroomy bottoms. But the pins are huge, probably twice the diameter of normal pins.

4.) Pictures and more to follow when I get this shimmed. It is quite difficult as I have only two hands for shim, cylinder and pick....

by **Mad Mick** » 16 Jun 2005 19:09

I'm very interested as to how the bitting is changed, as I believe the rekeying method to be:

Insert working key and turn 90 degrees,
Insert tool and remove working key,
Insert new key and remove tool,
Rotate new key back to neutral position.

So, assuming the key pins rise above the shear line as the key is withdrawn (which they would) there should be some drillings at the 90 degree position to facilitate this. If the new key is then inserted and leaves some of the key pins protruding past the shear line, how would the plug be able to be rotated back to neutral? The only way I can see this method working is to employ the usage of MK pins, but that would probably result in an easy pick. Since two very accomplished pickers have had a go at this lock, I believe this not to be the case.

As Chucklz mentions the keyway stopping at half length of the plug, and Ray also saying that the plug diameter is pretty large, could there be some sort of lever system used at the front, which acts upon the rear half of the plug, in conjunction with MK pins?

Or perhaps I'm talking out of my Donkey. :wink:

*sits eagerly awaiting Chuck's post-mortem*

by **Chucklz** » 16 Jun 2005 19:48

I'm still at this. There are no 90 degree holes in the plug. I too was dissapointed. There are some funny going ons with this lock, I really have yet to have it all sorted. Ill post more when I have an idea about what I'm saying.

by **Shrub** » 17 Jun 2005 4:52

Its only a guess but i would imagine the shearline to be a tube on each pin, the shearline is changed not the pin heights, you would only need a lever to lock all tubes in place or to loosen them,

Its only an idea but the only one i can think of at the moment for 'programming' differant keys to work on the lock.

by **TOWCH** » 17 Jun 2005 16:34

Didn't someone say that the Brinks Lynx lock that there was a topic on a couple of months back was just this lock renamed?

by **Chucklz** » 17 Jun 2005 16:46

The spacing between the pins is so great on this lock, that I've made a truly massive hook to aid with shimming. Pictures to follow when I find that dang USB cable..

by **HeadHunterCEO** » 17 Jun 2005 19:05

all the magic is in the plug itself

each bottom pin is serrated but this is to serve the purose of the lock and is not a fuction of security.

that slot you see is for a change key

the plug is heavily machined to allow for a series of 2 position cams that run parell to each pin and are positioned directly next to each pin.

the 2 positions are operating and change

there are serrations 5 in the pins that the cams lock into depending on the cuts of the key to be used.

there is a slot in the front of the lock that accepts an ageled piece of spring steel which is the change key.

the change key when inserted will move each cam to the change position

now when you insert the correct key into the lock the pins will form a shearline. but its a shearline determined by the position of each cam in the plug.

if you put the wrong key in a proper shearline would not be created and the lock would not turn much like a conventinal lock.

here is the difrence

now i insert the correct key and turn the plug over 180.
I insert the change key intto the lock . (cams now in change position)
I remove the operating key (cam still in change position)
I insert the new key which has a diff biting
I remove the change (cams are still in change position though)
I rotate the plug(cams now snap back into the locked postion)
now the new key is now remembered and is now the operating key.

essentialy the length of the bottom pins is increased or decresed dependent upon at what serration the cam hooks up with it at.

when the cams are not in lock position you can yoink the key right out because the pin is in a neutral state

picture the bottom pins as a 2 part sys and understand that movement between these 2 parts is possible

expensive locks

one pic is worth a thousand words

when he posts the pics it will make more sense

by **Chucklz** » 17 Jun 2005 22:12

Defeated at 7:30 EST. (2.5 hours total time playing with the lock over two days) This lock feels very different, in some respects it was like learning all over again. I've been searching around for a proper plug follower for these. Anyone know the precise diameter, as I haven't my verniers with me. I was able to "learn" from poking aroudn with picks/shims etc that the magic is in the plug. What I would like to know however, is how much of this can I expect to fly out when I remove the plug.

by **HeadHunterCEO** » 17 Jun 2005 22:25

Chucklz wrote:Defeated at 7:30 EST. (2.5 hours total time playing with the lock over two days) This lock feels very different, in some respects it was like learning all over again. I've been searching around for a proper plug follower for these. Anyone know the precise diameter, as I haven't my verniers with me. I was able to "learn" from poking aroudn with picks/shims etc that the magic is in the plug. What I would like to know however, is how much of this can I expect to fly out when I remove the plug.

none it will come right out

by **HeadHunterCEO** » 26 Jun 2005 6:31

Chucklz wrote:Defeated at 7:30 EST. (2.5 hours total time playing with the lock over two days) This lock feels very different, in some respects it was like learning all over again. I've been searching around for a proper plug follower for these. Anyone know the precise diameter, as I haven't my verniers with me. I was able to "learn" from poking aroudn with picks/shims etc that the magic is in the plug. What I would like to know however, is how much of this can I expect to fly out when I remove the plug.

so what do you think man?

pretty cool lock isn't it

U Change cylinder okla. cty

U Change cylinder okla. cty

thanks,

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