(1701) RELOOK: Magnetic Lock (How It Works!)

[@derfuchs3296]

Well thank you for the donation, whoever you are. This was the most exciting gutting in a long time.

[@NoOne-ef7yu]

C'mon people, this comment should be at the top! Also: I second that 'thank you'.

[@CTCTraining1]

Bill, would you try to reassemble the lock using acrylic sides ... would be a great piece of functional art.

[@Fanta....]

great idea. rebuild it in acrylic altogether!

[@tarmogr5801]

@@Fanta.... Then you could learn to pick it

[@JohnLee-bf2ux]

Yes please do it

[@PINKFL0YD-s2h]

Put it in a demagnatiser used for watches. That would neutralise the magnets

[@whitedragon1204]

This is a lockpicking lawyer and today I finally found a worthy opponent!

[@beriorgar]

damn, that's some engineering. great mechanism

[@henrituhola]

It's pretty cool that the magnets "rescramble" when you take away the key.

[@westcoaststacker569]

Yes, probably a metal plate they are attracted to. Very Nice design.

[@benwitherspoon1038]

The polarity of the other magnets push them away from each other's side once the key is removed. It's a neat design indeed.

[@OregonOutdoorsChris]

A magnetic spring if you will!

[@westcoaststacker569]

Oops of course. I have 50 or so of that size here along with others, I should know better.

[@stephanieatkins8981]

they stick to each other side to side this lock is awsome

[@davidpaine7398]

Great mechanism! If the rest of the lock was beefed up it would be a great contender! Thanks BB, and thanks to the person who donated it!

[@comingviking]

And thanks to the clever person who designed it. We have seen many Locks that were vulnerable to magnetic manipulation, but this is some NeXT Level shit.

[@noisytim]

Man, this is one of the cleverest mechanisms I’ve seen in such a long time!

[@faxezu]

This is at the same time way more simply and clever as I thought. I was thinking about a plate with holes which can move if several pins are pulled/pushed in the right direction to form a shear line by the array of magnets.

[@itsme-ow1nn]

Yeah that was my way of thinking. I was shocked when he opened it up & we saw that

[@CptainCrunch]

Yeah, I thought that too, not a spinning disk.

[@wolfbrave4866]

The key can probably modified into pick tool its simple just file the notch and its free spinning it will automatically align to the lock disk orientation maybe can pull the lock and spin the top disk and see if can feel the click.

[@Fpsnut]

@@wolfbrave4866 If you apply pressure on shackle trying to feel anything, you will simply jam disks and they shouldn't spin. This seems like truly unpickable lock.

[@leozendo3500]

The best lock/puzzle related video I have ever seen. Finally some real engineering.

[@55ATA3]

Thank you to the person who let bill rip this lock open. Bill, thank you for taking the time to open this lock for us all to see.

[@thelairdmc]

That mechanism is beautiful. Thanks for the donation from the Lady in europe and your time Bill. Very interesting video. All the best, Stay safe.

[@Bisqwit]

I think you could pick this with a special magnetic tool that allows rotating the individual discs individually.

[@luisrivero5245]

Came to comment this. I imagine one of those plastic disks with the magnets epoxied and a rod coming straight out. You generate tension on the shackle and start turning disk by disk until it unlocks. Would be a great challenge and probably a great collab with someone like LPL...

[@fabian6124]

I found a guy who opens these on yt. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6Wkd6Ote9B0pac thats the link. Or just search for capitol industries magnetic lock. Channel is called legendofthesamurai.

[@frankolsen261]

You can easily pick it by taking advantage of each disk not being symmetric regard to weight. You would need a weight with a tenth of a gram resolution and a small magnet to manipulate the direction of the cut out of each of the six discs.

[@luisrivero5245]

@@frankolsen261 I kind of get the general logic behind your comment, but I fail to see how exactly it would work... Could you elaborate a bit further?

[@mynyasabut]

I agree. I think it's self tensioning due to the spring loaded detents. a small magnet should do it placed horizontal to the surface where the key goes and turning one by one.

[@MrAlwiinn]

I rarely leave comments... but this is one of the most awesome lock mechanisms I have ever seen!

[@TheDMD9]

Very cool mechanism! Kudos to the winner for allowing this to be done, a lot of people got a lot of satisfaction from that gesture.

[@markconger8049]

Kudos to the engineer who came up with this design. It would be nice to see this in other applications too such as door locks and home safes.

[@brannonhudson6868]

Seems like a simple “pick” could be created by having a similar patterned magnets (two opposite polarity, same distance apart as the key and lock) on a turning handle. Using the shackle to apply the effective “keyway tension”. You could then match the pin up with each of the six rotating pins, and spin until it clicks. That would set under the pressure provided by the shackle, and you could move on to the next rotating pin until the shackle comes free.

[@FokkerBoombass]

I'm pretty sure the slightest pull of the shackle would bind these magnet gates right up.

[@hyperboloidofonesheet1036]

You might be able to get some feedback on the turning handle, but it would probably be very minor, even with strong magnets.

[@metanevets91]

You would have to create a tool that can allow you to turn each wheel but then keep the wheel from moving once you have it in a desired position. Then, tensioning the shackle, you might be able to tell if you have them in the correct position by if they wiggle.

[@yom73]

Theoretically that seems possible. If the disk can spin, that means you need to pick another one, like for a combination lock. Now when the disk is bound you need to figure out if you are in the gate or not. The main difficulties would be to find the right pressure on the shackle to have only one disk binding at a time, and maybe more difficult keep the disks in place once picked.

[@blahorgaslisk7763]

@@yom73 Also the way the shackle is locked up the feedback will be very crude. Even when the lock is in the unlocked state opening the shackle appears to take significant force, and it doesn't look smooth.

[@thesfreader3068]

Wow, such a great mechanism !! Congratulations to Capitol Industries, Thanks for anonymous donor and to you BostianBill !! Marvelous.

[@petekropf5335]

This was absolutely the most interesting lock I have ever seen. Bill you did an awesome job on documenting how this works, was like I was watching a true documentary. Wow still mind blowing.

[@liebefriedenworldwide8780]

Hey Bill, can't wait to see you and LPL to invent a tool for this damn thing. Thanks for the video and to the donator, this was very interesting!

[@lewisheasman]

Probably just 2 mini horseshoe magnets with some tension should do the job

[@joepochedley3382]

@@lewisheasman yes. But too much tension and the internal rotating wheels won't turn.... you can't force them like standard pins, and they won't hold under tension due to the way the bar slides between then grooves.. You'd probably need 6 magnets and a jig to hold them in orientations while you work on each pair....

[@SystemX1983]

Hi Bill :) after seeing the internals, a flash shot through my brain... imagine a plate like the blank key with 6 bolts, each containing a magnet that can be turned freely... then gently pull on the shackle of the lock to put tension on the mechanism and start rotating the bolts one after another... at a certain point all discs should be aligned as they need to be to open the lock what do you think? =) Greetings from Germany

[@wolfbrave4866]

The key can probably modified into a pick tool its simple just file the notch and its free spinning it will automatically align to the lock disk orientation maybe can pull the lock and spin the top disk to the bottom disk and see if can feel the click.

[@mdevries8495]

If you copy the lock itself you could use it as a key. What I mean is that if you have a free spinning decoder, it should be possible to detect if the lock itself is moving when manipulating the key. If it is, the decoder won't rotate after you release it, but if it's stuck it will as you'd be manipulating a stuck disk thus a static magnetic field.

[@chrisose]

That mechanism in a puck lock or shrouded shackle would be a beast. You could potentially create a pick for these with 6 dials but with no good way to tension the mechanism you would just be guessing at the orientation of the cams.

[@wwrite]

This was by far one of the best lock videos I have seen in a while!

[@grumpygus81]

Very cool of the winner to donate it back for an autopsy. Thanks for the inside look 👍

[@KomenCents]

Thank you so much for donating the lock! And thank you so much for showing us it's guts! Everyone wanted this video to exist

[@HmmmmmLemmeThinkNo]

Even knowing what's in it, and how it works, I don't think it's particularly plausible for someone to get into it, as you said. And that blows. My. Mind. I'm so impressed

[@KubedPixel]

What an amazing lock and review! Definitely not a lock you'd get into easily that's for sure. Thank you Bill and anonymous winner for the opportunity to see inside this beast.

[@nrowlett]

Very cool to see.Thank you random stranger for letting Bill dissect this lock & key!

[@sferg9582]

I love it when there is some "thinking outside the box" going on. That was very creative on the inventor's part.

[@scottdahlberg4890]

Sir, I have seen a lot of locks in my time (48 years old); The first super duty lock I ever saw was a Discus lock, the round fella. Then at my old job, we use Transport Security's Abloy locks (#350 & #341). I took a few apart over the years, had lots of little disk in them; they were a super badass lock. But now I come to your channel and see this magnetic little guy. One of the most curious locks I have now ever seen. Good work on figuring this out; I didn't think from the beginning you could spoof it and I was right; I did hesitate when you brought out the degauss machine, but that fell apart. You are a genius when it comes to this stuff. Have a great day Sir. Also, those combinations of how they did the north and south on a disk are just ingenious, I would like to meet the person that came up with this.

[@enlacdmx4379]

Great video, my curiosity is now fulfilled. This padlock design has brains!

[@RAkers-tu1ey]

Wow, that has some real potential beyond a brass padlock. Really sophisticated. Thanks to both of you.

[@dunmermage]

This is a devilish complex lock. There's no other word to describe it.

[@AlbertLebel]

They really thought this out. You put something like this in a beast of a lock and you will have something special.

[@Fanta....]

agree, as it currently stands, everything is a bit low security, But damn is it cool!

[@AlbertLebel]

Fanta Now seeing how that large access panel is simply press fit on back I would try knock that out

[@KaneElson]

@@AlbertLebel Yeah seems if you have a good enough wack to that mechanism from the pad side you could get it and the locking plate out.

[@MrDLRu]

Yup..and they need to make it so it can be re-keyed/magnetized...Otherwise, I'm out.

[@well_as_an_expert_id_say]

@@MrDLRu he said it has a rekey kit, that's why the magnets are colored. He didn't do that

[@acepilot1]

This is such an epic use of a win, would never had expected that despite having worked with “keyless” magnetic locks before

[@MsHojat]

That looks like one of the simplest locks I've ever seen, and aside from the not-so-cheap neodymium magnets, cheapest possible design (in a good way) too. Very cool. It's still a lock so it has some complexity to it obviously., but unlike other locks, the smallest components are still thick!

[@lyfandeth]

Deserves a Lock of the Year award!

[@itemushmush]

Awesome mechanism! Thanks unnamed winner for donating it back to the lab :D

[@William_Borgeson]

Wow, that company is going places after seeing how the internals work, I've never seen anything close to that type of mechanism, it's ingenious! Well done Bill, so glad you got to have fun taking it apart and you were just as surprised as I/we were with how it works. It's unpickable!

[@72polara]

Thanks to the winner for letting Bill take this thing apart. Really cool and clever design, yet really simple.

[@curthatt6461]

Man, I love this kind of video. So cool too see this kind of tech! Who thinks of this stuff? Just wow!

[@ryangriggs5767]

I can't believe, with such a detailed design, that they're using the ends of screws to hit against the discs!

[@RWBHere]

That's ingenious! I hope that they succeed in selling many of these. Thanks for the sacrifice, Unnamed Subscriber, and for the work, Bosnian Bill.

[@ericday604]

Bill that might be one of the coolest locking mechanisms i have ever seen! Thanks very much!!!

[@derekbroestler7687]

That was SO much more interesting that what I'd pictured it would be... Thanks for showing us and thank you anonymous donor!!!

[@FusionDeveloper]

"Not what I expected" is the theme for every part of this video.

[@roguejeff1]

This lock is superb! I consider the one I just bought last month (after watching the original video) one of my most prized possessions! Love it!

[@KJohansson]

Impressive, a piece of art. Revolving discs with magnets, thats a first! Get flashbacks to my first car that had a alarm with a magnetic arm/disarm plate.

[@GWiens2001]

Ever hear of an EVVA MCS?

[@demonknight7965]

Extremely simple mechanics. that takes Keep It Simple Stupid to a whole new level. The precision of it is simply Astounding.

[@ParkTheSnark]

So glad she let you open it up. That was amazing to see how it worked

[@skidrx]

Thank you! I think this is probably my new favorite video exposing how the lock mechanism works.

[@PyroPeter911]

A lock that makes Bill break out the milling machine twice and then bleed automatically earns a spot in the Bosnianbill Hall of Fame!

[@JasonPascucci]

This lock is incredible, first rate engineering.

[@brixiu5]

Incredibly fascinating video Bill! Glad they donated that lock.

[@miniclip1371]

So even if you knew the orientation of the inside magnets you’d basically need to build another key to properly align them and open the lock. Super cool

[@antoy384]

miniclip1371 Or you could have 6 magnets on rotors, so when you apply tension, magnets are stopped when they are at the correct position.

[@Penjulum]

The internal magnets are set to a default n/s up/down orientation as shown when Bill first (and later) opened the actual lock. The gate position is the difference with all the tumblers and that is where the key's magnet orientation comes into play.

[@eerikhm]

@@antoy384 Nope, you can't apply tension. If one of the rotors is not in it's correct position, then tensioning it will cause it to bind. And since it works with magnets, you can't create enough torque to overcome the tensioning. Basically, you can't decode it with tension. You'd need to rotate the rotors little by little and tension inbetween movements.

[@thehighprotondiet3127]

You need a key with six little dials on it. I doubt the magnets will be strong enough to turn the inner disks and give any useful feedback under tension though.

[@flatfingertuning727]

@@eerikhm I would expect that if one had a key with loose magnets that could rotate, then when not under tension, the little magnets in the key would all turn freely, but applying tension would cause some combination to bind while the others were free. Setting the binding magnet(s) to the correct orientation before applying tension would result in other magnets binding. In the absence of false gates, I would think that a key with magnets that could easily locked and unlocked would make it possible to decode the bitting in just a few minutes. If the torque from the gates is too small to feel, one could check for binding gates by applying a key where the pins to check were all set to an off-center position, applying tension, removing the key, and then using viewing film to see which wheels hadn't reset to their normal orientation.

[@lockhenge1752]

Thanks Bill for a well executed dissection and explanation... awesome lock with a very cool mechanism... also thanks to the winner and donor...!

[@scottwilcoxson2439]

I had a magnetic padlock once. The common kind you have seen. I always wondered how it worked. But this lock is so much more than I expected. Great design with a lot of imagination expended.

[@KDP_Beaver]

That is an amazing lock. Top marks to Capital Industries, and Bill great job not going full Jack in the box taking it apart. I loved seeing the magnets spin with the key.

[@FunkFPV]

That’s a really cool lock! I’m happy you gutted it 👍🏻

[@richardarmstrong3rd53]

Thank you for donating that lock. I really wanted to see what the inside looked like.

[@biometrix1000]

What a piece of art that lock is..thank you to evereyone involved..Cheers Billyboy

[@omsi-fanmark]

Cool! Must be one of the best - if not the best - locking mechanism in a padlock. Very sophisticated. Aside from brute force attacks, it should stop any wrong-doers from opening it.

[@The_Wicked_Wookie]

This is very clever design that I hope becomes an industry standard for locks

[@stephenbridges2791]

Thanks to the young lady for donating the lock. I was wondering about how this thing worked.

[@MrV1NC3N7V3G4]

On a side note, it's so cool how civil the comment section is on Bill's channel. I subscribe to a number of creators and virtually all of them have toxic comment sections to some degree. (LPL, Bill, Deviant Ollam and Project Farm being some exceptions)

[@johnopalko5223]

I'm impressed. That was some really, really clever engineering. I'm glad we got to see how this little gem works. Thank you, Unnamed Subscriber!

[@ro11erbeast]

Way cool, Bill! Thank you, un-named subscriber, for the opportunity to have this lock opened and to have its intricacies revealed.

[@yetanotherstronk]

Well you know you can tension it with the shackle now. So with very fine control over tension you could use one of the key magnet pairs (twisting it to spin the spinners one by one) to eventually jiggle all the spinners into place. You will get some feedback when a spinner is binding or in a gate. If you're keeping track and have v good tension control perhaps you can pick it by 1. Finding the tension level that binds only one spinner (assuming it's built so that all are not in a gate when reset), 2. Slightly releasing tension to allow that spinner to bind only slightly so you can move it. 3. When that one stops moving it is in a gate. 4. Move on to the next binding spinner, etc. Alternatively, one very large magnet circled around the lock slowly, which will drag every spinner around with it. You'll still need v fine control of tension but you can use this like a rake.

[@bensons999]

Yeah, that sounds about right, in _theory._ Could you imagine actually trying to open the thing like that though!? I think you'd have to have some suuuuuper patience as well as those *spidey senses* you'd need! *Really* cool video.

[@DeeSnow97]

grab a drill, mount one of those magnets LPL likes to use against a bunch of different electric locks, and spin it above the keyplate while varying the tension on the shackle

[@BD90..]

And if that does work I still doubt it would be picked by a person wanting to steal what it is locking. It seems like too much time and effort when a bolt cutters is simple and faster.

[@yetanotherstronk]

@tyvek05 You would feel them bound or free. With light and careful tension control you could figure out the first disc to bind, lighten just enough to enable it to spin if you give it a bit of jiggling and you can find the spot where the pin is over the gate because the light tension will have moved the pin into the gate and the spinner will stop turning. Then you can leave the picking disc in that spot so you know that spinner is picked. It would require a very very light touch and probably be v frustrating. You're also competing with magnetic fields from the other pins which might give you erroneous feedback.

[@yetanotherstronk]

@@BD90.. The point of picking is to do this without damaging the lock, if you can get another key but can't wait for this, or if you're a criminal or spy trying to get into something without people knowing you've done so. No lock is impenetrable to brute force. If that's your only concern, then you don't need a super secure core, just buy the beefiest lock you can get. That's why Master sells so many locks with crappy cores but reasonably solid build.

[@UnarmedPug]

You really went above & beyond with this one Bill!

[@AThreeDogNight]

A big thank you to both for that.

[@pedrowhack-a-mole6786]

So cool. A lock picking tool for this would be easy to construct now that you know where each of the 6 rotors are and how this lock actually works. This gives a new method of locking to all the experimental lock designers out there.

[@michaelkartman3543]

Impeccable work Bill. This thing is so darn cool! I’d like to see the inner workings of more unusual padlock mechanisms.

[@frankbiz]

That is one amazing lock mechanism. Thanks, it was very satisfying watching you getting to inside of it without recking it. 😊

[@torontocpl]

Yes Bill from a proud northern HudsonBay area 🇨🇦’n who wears many hats 👉🏻locksmith👉🏻millwright 👉🏻diesel mechanic 👉🏻computer Tech 👉🏻 etc etc cheers.. enjoy your retirement

[@roysammons2445]

If there is a way to deduce the magnetic orientation, I wonder if a lock picking key could be made. You tension the shackle, place the key on the lock and manually rotate wheels and listen for the click or movement of the pawl. Just a thought. Very cool lock indeed 👍🏻

[@ExtantFrodo2]

I was really hoping he would do exactly this with a follow up video. You don't even need a way to deduce the magnetic orientation. A panel of 6 disks with magnets of opposite polarity place 180 degrees apart with knobs to let you rotate each disk separately, would allow you to tick each lock disk into the notch position. You could only do this if the tensioning provided enough feedback. Otherwise it would be too random. Still, it is very difficult to catch that very tiny range between loose and tight. Loose enough to move usually means enough wiggle room to detect a set. With this style of lock there would be no overset. If it is made well enough you might need to use a sensitive indicator to actually find a set for any disk.

[@antoy384]

ExtantFrodo2 You don’t even need the feedback. Discs will stop rotating when they are at the right position. There is no false gate, so the first gate is the correct one.

[@thomasneal9291]

@@antoy384 nope. there is nothing to stop them from rotating around. that's part of the design. what you guys are talking about would ONLY work, if the tolerances are such that you can put enough tension to get them to stop rotating once they hit the pin. but I did not see that kind of play in the lock mechanism. it's tight. I don't think what you are talking about will work.

[@Penjulum]

@@thomasneal9291 It looks like any tension will prevent the tumblers from turning to ANY position. I only say this because I can think of no way to apply pressure to the tumblers. You are limited by the magnet force.

[@sleeptyper]

Imagine a Philips rotary shaver but razor heads replaced with 2x3 grid of small motors and those magnet pucks on the axle ends. Then rotate the motors so that one column turns opposite to the other column.

[@davouchi1]

Thanks so much for opening it up. That mechanism is amazing!

[@nicky5688]

This has to be the coolest lock I've ever seen, what an awesome design.

[@htmagic]

BosnianBill, I suggested the magnetic viewer. I knew it would not show polarity but only the location of the magnets. But once you knew where they were, you take another magnet and identify the polarity, likes repel and opposites attract.

[@GaryCameron780]

Proud to be Canadian. Thank you!

[@TeamRosenbusken]

A realy good lock - Thanks

[@BryanTorok]

I am so glad that you machined open the lock and showed us that. That is very clever. Thank you. Now, you could make a tool with two magnets of opposite polarity on the end. Think of gluing a couple of small magnets to the end of a dowel rod. You could use the tool to rotate each disc separately to find the gate. Probably use very light tension. You would get minimal feedback through the tool, all the feed back would come from the shackle. Maybe use light intermittent tension as you turn the tool.

[@choochoochooseyou]

That turned out to be really impressive. Thanks for your hard work there, Bill.

[@qalln-w272]

With shackle shrouding This lock is the bomb. I wish I get one .

[@neo13412]

Thanks Bill! This is exactly what I was looking for after your first video on this lock. Awesome stuff!

[@shockingguy]

That’s truly radical and I’ll put that in a significant lock body and you’ve got a damn winner

[@amanofmanyparts9120]

Back in the early 1980's I was the one tasked with the responsibility of securing my shift's refreshment cupboard. Any such items left unsecured would just disappear when the other shifts were thirsty or wanted some condiments or other rest break supplies. While looking around for a decent padlock I came across one very similar to this. The 'key' was less that half the width of that one, not as thick and was used against the side rather than the face. I left it behind - along with the keys of course - when I quite that company, but no one ever got into our supplies during that period! I can only surmise how similar the interior mechanism worked in comparison.

[@markpinther9296]

What an awesome video. Hats off to you as this is truly one of the most exciting videos I have seen of yours!

[@bradw0535]

Thanks for all the hard work you put in to take us through it! Awesome stuff!

[@grbluen]

Thank you so much! Thanks to your subscriber that sacrificed the lock so that we could see what was going on!

[@atlantamx3]

What a brilliant design! Thank you for sharing! So neat!

[@marcorizza274]

I was really hoping for this video. Nice piece of engineering!

[@lightningslim]

Kudos to the winner! A win for everyone!

[@yonray]

This is an amazing lock. I love the internal mechanisms.

[@johnboleyjr.1698]

That's actually a fairly well thought out mechanism. Love the effort put forth.

[@kareno8634]

*THANK YOU to the One that WON!* You've made us All Winners. _did that sound corny?_ too bad -> *This was COOL!*

[@thomasw6169]

This is an really nice mechanism. Thanks for showing us.

[@arrrg3846]

Thank you Euro contest winner! ... and Bill ofc. :-)

[@Robbe902]

Amazing. Whoever came up with THAT was not "only" (no offense !!) locksmith but also a clever physicist or at least a very physics interested person .. Incidentally, I would agree with the suggestion to build acrylic parts and complete the lock again.

[@michahalczuk9071]

As for the orientation of magnets viewed through magnetic paper - you can't see it, but you can see how magnets are oriented in regards to each other somewhat. Same poles will create gap between each other, opposing poles will have dark area between them due to magnetic flux direction. Looking at 2:20 the orientation is: + + + + - + (flux from 3 magnets towards single one) + + + - - - Or opposite. Or you could just draw with the layout with this magnetic paper and use single magnet to get the polarity setup.

[@danliberty734]

A small magnetic stud finder would have indicated polarity. However, the precision needed to read the keyway would be difficult to achieve. There is no way to tension the lock to get feedback, and turning the key into a pick that allows you to rotate the discs would be very difficult. It would be like trying to decode a combination lock by simply entering combinations. 1-1-1, 1-1-2, 1-1-3, etc. Very nice lock.

[@stefanpauly6213]

Wow, that is a truly fascinating mechanism. Now I want one of these locks...

[@joncrow3228]

That was fascinating to watch. It’s good to see new innovations in such an old field!