Agency pick gun made for the CIA

[monkeE]

Thanks for the tip raimundo. I am an electrical engineer, so timing of two solenoids won't be a problem at all. I plan to use a variable frequecy PFM or PWM circuit depending on what seems to be better. If you are familiar with the UC3525A chip, I was lannign on feeding the two solenoids with output A and output B in order to get the non-overlapping delay.

Any more insight into this design would be greatly appreciated.

[Greatbob]

From what I know from my uncles friend, they are pretty much the same as normal ones, but they are more accurate, and you can control their speed (if you cant already). They are pretty much "super picks"


Except made by the government, so it is pretty much an oxymoron



government made and super(positive connotation)

[skilless]

Has anyone thought of remote control SERVO's. The ones for RC planes are small and powerful (smaller than a match box if you have the $). It's what makes a rc car's turn left and right. It's prob what they use now ;0)
If the wrench is on the gun then does the pick not only have to go up and down but back and forth also? If so then a SERVO would be even better still. And you can mod most SERVO's to do complete turns if that would help.

[Dark Angel]

Don't you think that it is strange how there are several companies producing electric picks.
And no one has made anything like the Agency pick device.
It has got to be one of the most sought after types of picking devices around and still no one has made a all in one hand held electric pick.
Maybe i am wrong does anyone know of a commercially available all in one electric pick?.

[la htris]

@ monkeE: i dont really see the point in using to solenoids, b/c if you think about it on the down stroke all the pick has to do is return to below the pin drop faster than gravity and the rebound takes the pins down. putting a short stroke, strong spring would probably be the best way. if, however, u were after a double sided pin gun.... well, have fun. not sure where youd put the wrench though

[vjbeau]

Hi

What's the big deal about the so called CIA Lockpick gun? It is NOT MAGIC.
Are people too lazy to learn manual picking? Want to open any lock with no skills and remain a lazy unmotivated schlub? Then make a set of bump keys...cheaper and probably many more successful openings.

You could always bite the bullet and shell out the bucks for a Multi-Pick from Germany also if you don't give a crap about ruining the interior of the lock.

Whatever happened to talent and fingers?

[Gordon Airporte]

Doing it by hand is fine for us hobbiests, VJ, but the CIA has different needs. They can't expect to keep their agents in top form for picking high security locks (which is likely what they will encounter.) It's not like everyone even has the potential to pick some of them by hand. Even if they could, an agent can't hang out in some restricted area for half an hour fiddling with a lock.
Anyway, I think we're more interested in the mechanical aspects of this device than actually using it ourselves. It's an interesting engineering problem.
Bump keys might work, but it could be difficult concealing the hammer on your person, and they aren't exactly fool-proof.

[raimundo]

These power tools seem to attract the people who have little skill, but generally they apply to the common type of pin tumbler locks, has anyone thought of making one for a dimple lock, I could use one for a sergeantkeyso. does all the action have to be up and down, couldn't a matator blade be hooked to an inandout, or even an upanddowninandout

[raimundo]

that cia power tool was probably the first power tool of the type produced, back in the fiftys or forties, the new versions are improvements.

[illusion]

The Wendt pickgun has an attachment for Mul-T-Lock so I would guess it could pick dimple locks.

[vjbeau]

The CIA has special needs....
They have superior training and I'm sure they don't just hand out "magic pick guns" to Joe Agent with little or no orientation. Agent Picknose probably can out pick all of us with straight picks....no hands!

My question is...what can it be other than a super fast electric pick? There is no magic configuration that will open any lock 1-2-3. Is it made from Area 51, Roswell stored crash fragments that will auto open any lock just by thinking the words "open sesame" as it glows and pulses?

Those videos on Multipick Service (http://www.multipick-service.cc/index_en.php?mode=elite) with their german made gun is pretty amazing. I doubt the CIA models are any different..or better.

I am still open to learn and be surprised as I am only guessing what makes sense to me.

Who knows.....

[vector40]

I'd be amazed if the Agency used the Multipick. Talk about an inelegant solution.

[eric343]

A huge amount of this stuff is never patented.

Romstar

This makes sense -- the point of a patent is that you make your invention public in exchange for being granted the right to restrict its use for a certain period of time. The CIA can accomplish the latter through the same secrecy that would be compromised by the former.

[eric343]

I think spooks from 15 US agencies and the british aussie, canadian israeli russian and just about every spook technical service agency watches this site to see if something new comes up and also to recruit talent. I know military intelligence of the us army is here. 905MI battalion out of fort detrick maryland or some such.

While I wouldn't be surprised that they keep an eye out for new techniques (has someone granted them advanced access yet?), I am skeptical of your assertion that they would recruit talent from LP101. As others have pointed out, being able to pick locks is not necessarily an indicator of fitness for intelligence service or even technical service to an intelligence agency. If I were a spook looking to recruit lock bypass specialists, I'd be knocking on the door of a certain other forum.

Or MIT. There are a lot of people here not active online that would be superb in such a position, complete with training and experience in covert operations. (moving artillery cross-country, putting police cars and multi-part full-scale models of early airplanes on a certain major architectural features...) Oddly enough, I haven't heard of any intelligence recruitment in this direction, barring the usual CIA and NSA booths at the career fair.

That said, picking locks with a banana could be a very handy skill to teach to the would-be McGyvers at Camp Peary. I'm only half-kidding -- better to be caught with a carved banana than a lockpick that screams "I'M CIA! BEHEAD ME!"

[Prodigy]

Also having more degrees than a thermometer doesnt make you any better either. they have no CDF or common sence.