The Working Principle Of A Standard Dial Combination Lock

　　Although there are different types of standard dial combination locks, they all have a dial for opening the lock—usually a digital dial. Each dial is connected to an internal locking mechanism, such as a pin. When you turn the dial to the correct number, it will release the locking mechanism of the connection. Only after turning all the dials to the correct position, the standard dial combination lock will be turned on.

　　Some combination locks also support the use of keys. In other words, you can open them by turning the dial to the correct position or inserting and turning the key.

　　The problem of a standard dial combination lock

　　The biggest problem with standard dial combination locks is that they can be cracked by trial and error. For example, if a standard dial combination lock has three dials, and each dial is numbered from 0 to 9, then it has only 720 different combinations in total. Although this sounds sufficient to prevent cracking, a motivated thief may find the right combination in less than an hour.

　　Of course, some standard dial combination locks have more than three dials. The more dials it has, the harder it is to crack through trial and error. However, as long as there is enough time, the thief can guess the correct combination regardless of how many times the lock has been dialed.

　　In addition to the basic trial and error method, the standard dial combination lock is also prone to gaskets. Not to be confused with prying or bumping, shims involve the use of special tools called shims to open the lock. The washer is designed to retract the spring that secures the shackle to the lock body.