The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: AlanS17 on June 14, 2005, 12:41:59 pm
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I didn't know what forum to put this in...
If you have a machine you can't get into because you don't have the lock for it, you can go ahead and drill it out pretty easily. Sometimes the lock is tough or (like me) you've got a weak drill. Here are a couple of pointers.
What you want to do is drill straight through the center so that you chew up the threading holding the locking plate in place from the inside. You want to either knock the nut off the back end holding the plate in place or knock off the entire back end from the inside. For this you want about a 1/4" drill bit. Anything much smaller won't do the damage you're looking for and anything much more will make the work that much harder on you and the drill. Plus if you use a bit that's too small you risk breaking it.
Be sure you wear eye protection (I know it's common sense but I feel compelled to mention it). If everything works out well you can just drill straight through. Just be as straight as possible. You don't have to be extremely exact.
However, you're drilling out metal (which expands when it gets hot) and there are moving parts on the inside of a lock so it's not hard for your bit to get stuck. As you drill you start heating up the bit and the lock. As they get hotter they can expand and the lock can literally grab down on the bit (sort of like when an engine overheats). The other problem you might run into is that the bit you're using might just quit digging.
When this happens, take a can of compressed air, tip it upside down, and shoot it into the hole you've made. Let it frost up and get nice and frozen over. Then you can hit it again with the drill and probably be just fine.
Another method you can try when you get stuck is using a pilot bit. You use a smaller bit than the one you've got to make a pilot hole so your larger drill big will have something to grab and pull itself in.
Note that you only have to drill out the lock on the back door because then you can reach in and unscrew the front lock from inside. The lock on the coin box (if it's seperate) will be sealed from the inside and so that lock would have to be drilled out, too. Be careful drilling out the lock to the coin box because you might damage the coin box if you keep going too far.
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Most of these locks are simple wafer locks, among the easiest to pick. I'd recommend attempting to pick the locks before putting the wear and tear of drilling out the lock on your drill and bits. Good information available at http://www.lockpicking101.com
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Remove the back panel of the game and get access that way. You can then use pliers to turn the latching mechanism and open the coin door.
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Most of the time you just have to drill deep enough to remove the tumblers.
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Also use some oil on the drill bit, it will go through it much faster and slow up the dulling of the drill bit.