A (rare) Craigslist Success Story

[opt2not]

I think I saw that claw machine featured in Prometheus. You can extract aliens out of your belly with that thing.

So now you got a working pac! It's in rough shape though, you planning on restoring it at all?

[HaRuMaN]

I think I saw that claw machine featured in Prometheus. You can extract aliens out of your belly with that thing.

So now you got a working pac! It's in rough shape though, you planning on restoring it at all?

Yeah, I am.     Although, it being in working condition is going to hinder my progress...   

[Gray_Area]

I thought it was obvious the seller was being a dork. Glad you got it, man.

[yotsuya]

I got dibs on the crane machine when you get tired of it! 

[HaRuMaN]

I got dibs on the crane machine when you get tired of it! 

Hmm...  interesting that you should say that, since...

I got the crane game working yesterday!  I was able to get the locked coin box open (poor design, a small nail & hammer defeated the hinge), and inside the coin box I found the missing 3A fuse and fuse cap.  Popped them in, hit the power, and:

[HaRuMaN]

The game plays perfect.  Haven't checked the dollar bill validator yet, but the coin door works on tokens.

Unfortunately, I can't grab any toys because of the black sheet covering everything up.  Now, I just have to defeat this lock somehow:



Any ideas?  It looks like it would be a royal pain in the  to drill.

[Le Chuck]

Now is a great time to revisit the lock picking thread!

[Wayne's World flashback noises]http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=119173.0[/Wayne's World flashback noises]

Man, that wasn't actually that helpful.  You should get this:  http://www.dhgate.com/wholesale/tubular+lock+pick.html

or go read this:  http://www.analoghacking.com/documents/ftw/FTW%20Defeating%20Tubular%20Locks.txt

Or use some freon to freeze the lock and whap it really good with a screw driver and hammer

Or just try drilling it out and be amazed at how fast a good sharp bit will chew through the lock.  Start small and work larger until you're through. 

[Dervacumen]

Nice find.  Put all of your kid's stuffed animals in the crane, set it to the most difficult setting, and tell her she can play with them when gets them out.  Keeps toys off the floor.

[HaRuMaN]

Nice find.  Put all of your kid's stuffed animals in the crane, set it to the most difficult setting, and tell her she can play with them when gets them out.  Keeps toys off the floor.

LOL... 

[HaRuMaN]

So...  I've been drilling on the lock... haven't had a whole lot of luck yet.  Here is the same lock, removed from the coin door (luckily the coin door was open, so I could get it off):



If you can see, it has a little metal tab that sticks up through the housing:



If I push on the tab so that it goes all the way in, the front face of the lock pops out (it's spring loaded) and I can turn the handle.

I've drilled enough of the lock to reach the arm that the tab is on, I can pull it down, but the face isn't popping out yet.  I'm thinking maybe I'm just not able to pull it all the way down, and maybe some more drilling will fix that.

Anyone else played with this type of lock?

Here is the manufacturer:

[404]

thats going to be a mission there. Best bet is that if you can get access to the lock from the inside somehow, cut it with a cutting disk. Hopefully you can cut enough that the lock mechanism simply falls apart.

[Nephasth]

Time to invest in a master key...

[HaRuMaN]

Time to invest in a master key...

Lol... only problem with that is the close proximity of the stuffed animals inside.  I can only imagine the disaster if something were to catch fire in there.

[Vigo]

When I drilled a vending machine lock just  like that, I had to step to larger drill bits until I practically ground up the entire barrel lock insert. Those Chicago Barrel lock Mechs are a PITA. When all is said and done, I did save the lock mech without more than lite marring on the inside lock insert area.

Tried the whole picking route as well, at least without going as far as buying a specialty pick set for barrel locks. No dice.

[Gray_Area]

Yeah, those locks are meant to keep people out. Of course, in this situation breaking the glass might be easier. But we don't want that. Talk to someone in the shop at work, I bet they can get through that thing in no time - probably with a plasma welder.

I was talking with a guy, he said he wanted to get a claw machine so when the kids were bad, he could put their toys in there, and they could work to get them back. I didn't think to ask whether he might charge them coins. Evil I say.

[sharpfork]

Sweet pickup!

Your wife is cool to push you to go early.  Good lady who knows you there...
The early bird gets the worm.

 

I could get my kids to do their chores for a chance at a stuffed animal in the crane game.

[HaRuMaN]

Success!  Lock 0, Haruman 1:



Now that I can get inside, I took the black sheet out:



Toys!  lol:

[yotsuya]

You should set it up outside and let the neighborhood kids play for a quarter each! 

[HaRuMaN]

Lol...

It's got a dollar bill validator.  Haven't checked that out yet.  The plan is to re-key it, clean it... and then?  It's gotta a couple of cracks, looks like the thing was dropped once.  I may slap some bondo in there and sand it back down.  Who knows.  I may hold on to it for a while or may sell it.

[Vigo]

Success!  Lock 0, Haruman 1:

That there is exactly how you take care of one of them Chicago locks. 

[HaRuMaN]

Took a couple of hours of effort.  That sucker was a pain.

[Yenome]

there is an old trick for pc case locks that work like those that you can unlock them with a simple piece of cardboard in a circular shape but alas i am late to the party gj on this nice score.

[CoryBee]

there is an old trick for pc case locks that work like those that you can unlock them with a simple piece of cardboard in a circular shape but alas i am late to the party gj on this nice score.

Oh yea I read somewhere about that....and I am a bit late to the party but there is an easy way to unlock barrel locks I saw on youtube. Involves a bic pen.....check it out.

I would love to have a claw machine in my house, I just like winning at things that give me a prize for such.

[Gray_Area]

...but there is an easy way to unlock barrel locks I saw on youtube. Involves a bic pen.....check it out.

I remember that. I do have a lock that requires it, but I don't put coins in the machine so forgot about it.

[Vigo]

I think those Chicago Locks are a much tougher than most other barrel locks though. I tried the cardboard trick, bic trick, tried making my own picks, and even made a metal dummy key out of an old fuel line. That lock did not budge for me until it looked like the lock in Haruman's photo. I had a nice impact drill as well and it took me a few hours of straight drilling. The thing was solid.

Of course, it could be that I am inept at lock picking, I won't doubt that for a second, but I have never seen a vending machine ransacked in the wild. Given that there are so many unattended machines out there, I think I would come across this by now if all you needed was a lighter and a Bic pen.

[HaRuMaN]

I tried the bic pen thing, didn't work.  Didn't try the cardboard trick.  In the end, I just had to brutalize it till it gave up...   

[Nephasth]

Of course, it could be that I am inept at lock picking, I won't doubt that for a second, but I have never seen a vending machine ransacked in the wild. Given that there are so many unattended machines out there, I think I would come across this by now if all you needed was a lighter and a Bic pen.

There was a snack vending machine in the driver's lounge at the shop I used to work at. My Snap-On toolbox has barrel locks. My toolbox key was by no means a match for the vending machine lock, but it opened it just as easily. I never ransacked the thing, but I did enjoy complementary snacks...
 

[Le Chuck]

Of course, it could be that I am inept at lock picking, I won't doubt that for a second, but I have never seen a vending machine ransacked in the wild. Given that there are so many unattended machines out there, I think I would come across this by now if all you needed was a lighter and a Bic pen.

There was a snack vending machine in the driver's lounge at the shop I used to work at. My Snap-On toolbox has barrel locks. My toolbox key was by no means a match for the vending machine lock, but it opened it just as easily. I never ransacked the thing, but I did enjoy complementary snacks...
 

Those coil feed vending machines are often ransacked through a good shacking or momentary inversion.  Won't get you the money but you will make off with all the chips, candy and gum you can carry.

[MacGyver]

I hope you pulled out those stuffed animals and vacuumed out all of the scorpions that were probably living in there.  You never know what kind of crazy things the guy that abandoned it left in there.   Nice find btw.

[Yenome]

there is even tricks to unlocking a car with nothing more than a tennis ball.

[HaRuMaN]

I hope you pulled out those stuffed animals and vacuumed out all of the scorpions that were probably living in there.  You never know what kind of crazy things the guy that abandoned it left in there.   Nice find btw.

Ugh.  Now I'm gonna have to go home and vacuum the thing.   

[Mysterioii]

OR....   change it from a stuffed animal grabbing machine to a scorpion-catching machine...      You've seen these done as live lobster machines right? 

[MaxVolume]

there is even tricks to unlocking a car with nothing more than a tennis ball.

Yes, and it has been proven to be fake... just as I assume the "bic trick" is.

[HaRuMaN]

It's really weird watching a bunch of 40 year olds get giddy about stuffed animals.

 

Hey, I'm only 34...    

Did I mention I collect Super Mario plush?

[Mysterioii]

Get off my lawn, you! 

[Gray_Area]

For 34, H is pretty retro. I'm down.

[Fang Doctor]

Did I mention I collect Super Mario plush?

Pics? 

[HaRuMaN]

Did I mention I collect Super Mario plush?

Pics? 

Lol... no...  my daughter has claimed my collection as her own, so they are now scattered all over the house.  She's 2.

There are 2 mushrooms (about 6" size), 2 bob-ombs, toad, pirhanna pete, a cheep-cheep, a ghost, a fireflower, and one of those spikey cat-catepillar things (about 19" tall).

[yotsuya]

When I buy the crane off you, you better take those plush back from her or the deal's off!!!!!

J/k!!! 

[yotsuya]

Don't sweat it - yotsuya doesn't have any money anyway.

Actually, using the cash in hand method, I picked up a working Asteroids a few weeks ago, saving over $100 off the asking price. So I'm rolling in it.