15 replies to this topic

[dmine45]

I recently purchased an Automatic Electric/GTE single slot pay phone (model 120B) off of eBay. It was an old pay phone that was in service in a small independent telco territory in Tennessee. They recently went through and took out a ton of these pay phones and sold them on eBay.

I already have a key for the lower lock and the T-handle key for the coin box, but they failed to send me a key for the upper lock!

I would really want to open up the phone and convert it to regular phone line use, but I don't know how to get in it.

I've read somewhere that Western Electric single slot pay phones have the quirk that if you hit the lock with a hammer drill long enough that the screws for the lock (on the inside) unscrew themselves after a while, and the lock comes out. I don't know if AE/GTE pay phones have the same "feature" or not.

But I'm curious if anyone has had experience with opening these types of pay phones or not. I'd rather NOT have to drill out the lock to get it open. I'm sure that there are too many combinations of the upper lock key that trying to get one that would work is next to impossible.

Any reasonable idea welcome. Thanks!

[levitis_leviathan]

Can you tell if it's a pin-tumbler lock or a 30C (wafer) type? Can you post a close-up photo?

[dmine45]

Can you tell if it's a pin-tumbler lock or a 30C (wafer) type? Can you post a close-up photo?

Here is what the lock looks like. I'm guessing its a pin-tumbler one, but not sure.

 aephonelock.jpg   32.81K   59 downloads

[I-baLL]

Is there a reason why this is in the HACKING forum and not the PHREAKING forum?

[PhreakerD7]

If you can pick locks, it shouldn't be too difficult.

Otherwise, perhaps try a crowbar??? We're not sure how far you're willing to go. I mean, I could suggest a bomb and just blow it off. But, that doesn't seem like a viable choice, does it?

[albertterego]

I think this is a medeco payphone lock. I don't think they're very easy to pick, tho I'm no expert on locks. You may be able to drill it. You'll want to use a drill press.

For general information on classic payphone locks (not this kind, tho), try http://www.crypto.co.../misc/wecolock/


AT

Edited by albertterego, 02 June 2007 - 04:12 PM.

[xof7]

It wouldnt be very difficult to pick.
You just need a tension wrench http://www.southord....g.asp?cat=tools , i'd suggest the tw-02 and a http://www.southord....?cat=slim_metal ( Part Number - SLS-07) or a ( Part Number - MSL-11)

[I-baLL]

Can we actually get a decent photo of the lock? Because what you posted is so small that you can't see any markings on the lock. I bet you that it's a medeco.

[dmine45]

Can we actually get a decent photo of the lock? Because what you posted is so small that you can't see any markings on the lock. I bet you that it's a medeco.

There are no markings on the lock. None whatsoever.

I tried to post a large photo but it automatically shrunk it down. Click on the one that I posted earlier and you can see a larger version.

[I-baLL]

A 432 x 234 resolution photo isn't "big". Give us a close up shot of the lock in a bigger resolution.

[levitis_leviathan]

 lock.jpg   13.68K   22 downloadsI recently had to forcibly open a 120B (surplus bought on Ebay, no key, but cheap). Since it was a GTE housing, the lock was not a wafer type (i.e., 30C), but rather a pin tumbler, either a Medeco or clone as shown in your photo.

These locks as pictured above are attached to the housing simply by the outer ring, which is only as thick as the housing wall and threaded to screw into the housing from the inside. (By contract the wafer type locks in the old Western Electric models are a complete lock assembly attached by four small mounting screws to the housing side, making them much more difficult to force open.) In sum, the lock on your phone should be able to be opened without damaging the phone or housing in about a half hour by the following procedure:

Tools needed: electric drill with masonry bit slightly larger than the keyway, long-handled screwdriver made of professional grade materials with a square shaft (very important), wrench made of professional grade materials and which is the appropriate size to fit the square shaft of the screwdriver, hammer.

Steps:
1. Place the phone on its side with the lock in question facing up. Be sure to have a carpet or other material under the phone to protect the case from potential scratching.
2. Drill into the keyway just enough to expand the slot to accommodate the point of the screwdriver; do not drill out the cylinder!
3. Hammer the screwdriver into the slot created in th expanded keyway.
4. Grip the screwdriver shaft with the wrench, and whle applying pressure to the screwdriver, use the wrench to twist the cylinder first clockwise, then counter-clockwise. With repeated efforts the cylinder will begin to rotate further clockwise. It will require substantial torque. The goal is to eventually break the lock free of the housing, so that one end is up and out from the housing. You may need to use the screwdriver then to pry the lock up and out of the housng. In my case, it came out in one piece.

After this, the upper should open with the T-key. I was able to purchase a replacement lock from naicomm.com (I used Item LK0150) and had it installed in minutes.

Good luck and phreak on.

levitis_leviathan

www.pa2600.com
hackerdocs.domaindisabled.com
www.payphonephreak.com

[dmine45]

Here is a larger picture of the lock:

 payphonelock.jpg   251.29K   21 downloads

As you can tell, it is similar to the one in the "how to bash the lock" description above. It does not have any markings on it whatsoever.

Edited by dmine45, 03 June 2007 - 07:12 PM.

[dmine45]

Good luck and phreak on.

Thank you!!

This is what I was looking for!

I'll have to attempt to do this. A trip to the hardware store is in order!

Dave

[DeadlyBSD]

If you can pick locks, it shouldn't be too difficult.

Otherwise, perhaps try a crowbar??? We're not sure how far you're willing to go. I mean, I could suggest a bomb and just blow it off. But, that doesn't seem like a viable choice, does it?

Heh, nope that is a medeco lock, pretty much infeasible to pick, because not only do the pins have to be lifted to the shear line, they have to be rotated a proper amount.

Just drill it.

[lowtec]

Medeco locks aren't infeasable to pick.. just different. Okay maybe harder than a standard pin tumbler since there is an extra dimension added.

However, medeco payphone locks only have 4 pins! This makes things a bit easier. I still haven't been able to pick mine though..

[dmine45]

Phone has been broken into, lock destroyed.

It looked like the Medco one earlier up in the thread.

Took me 30 minutes of hammering and drilling, but the lock finally came out.

I might have slightly damaged the phone in the process. But overall I'm glad the lock is finally off!

Thanks for everyone's help in the matter!

Dave