This page is pretty much about how to pick the Abloy Protec. At least the padlocks. It really helps when you read this if you have read Han Feys article on the TOOOL website about the Abloy Protec as I do not go to in depth into the operation of the lock here.
Ok this first picture is of my pick that I made from an allen wrench sitting next to the lock.
This is the pick inserted into the lock.
This is the part that runs though all the discs and turns the 0 discs which in turn move the return bars and engage the DBS to lock all the discs so they can't be rotated.
Here is the cylinder removed from the padlock body. It's hard to see but the return bars are touching but not raised to lock the rest of the discs. This is the position you will want these bars in for picking. (note: you rotate the 0 discs all the way then just basically release the pick so you aren't keeping pressure on the return bars)
These two pictures just show the cylinder and the front profile plate of the lock. By rotating just the profile plate the tab will catch on the cylinder body to rotate the whole cylinder without affecting the discs. This in turn pushing the locking bar down against the discs providing you with feed back.
The materials for this pick were a nail thinned and flattened so it is a "T" shaped bar which gets inserted into an exacto knife handle. For tubing I bought a telescoping magnet and I used the telescoping rod for the tubing. I soldered a piece of tubing to the exacto handle then took the thickest size tubing and soldered several pieces to the end until I reached a size which was approximately the same diameter as the height of the key way. I cut the end of that so there was the 2 tabs 180 degrees apart to fit the top and bottom of the key way. That final piece of tubing was soldered to the end of the progressivley smaller tubes. The exacto handle part fits quite nicely in the part with the tensioning tabs.
Picture of the entire pick in all its crappy prototypical glory.
Picture of the pick tip. It is simply a "T" shape made from a nail with the shaft thinned. The nail was then inserted into an Exacto knife handle. A piece of tubing was soldered to the exacto handle.
This is the part for tensioning the lock. The 2 tabs that the arrows are pointing to are the parts that actually rotated the profile plate. The exacto handle goes inside the bigger diameter tube you see here on the bottom and the pick tip sticks out of the top piece of tubing.
This attack is actually pretty easy. You make two picks from allen wrenches. All I did for this was found the smallest allen wrench I have with me and added a second bend to it. At this point you should have something that looks like a double sided tension wrench or offset screwdriver. If you look at the first picture above you can see this. I then used a cut-off wheel to cut one of the legs down so it is about 3/4 the height of the key. That short end I then filed so it would fit in between the spacers that separate the discs (about the same thickness as the discs just a tiny bit smaller.
I am not really going to go into a tension tool for the profile plate. Just suffice it to say I took a hacksaw blade and cut it so there are two prongs that fit into the top and bottom of the profile plate. It is kind of like a Falle style wrench.
The first thing you do is stick your two picks in then use the deepest pick to rotate that little do-hicky in the third picture above. Then use the tension tool to rotate your profile plate as far as it goes, when t stops you are pushing the lock bar towards the disc.
With your tension applied use the second pick to rotate the discs to line the gate up with the locking bar. There is definitely a change in feeling between the real gate and the false gates. I have not yet picked the lock with the cylinder in the body but have pushed on the gate from the top to simulate tension and I was able to get the lock bar to drop in fully which if the lock had been in the body would have opened the shackle after using the tension tool to rotate the whole cylinder enough.
I have not yet been able to pick this lock with the cylinder in the body but that's because I have to figure out how to interpret my feedback. But I have become confident that at least my Abloy Protec pl330 padlock is able to be picked.
Updates:
8/9/09- Had earthquake. Lost the spring that holds the cylinder together while it is in the lock body so I can't work on this until I get the new one...it's on the way (hopefully).8/13/09-Made a pick tip for the prototype above. Used a nail and thinned the shaft with my ghetto lathe (thanks again JK for the idea). Then I used the dremel to thin the head down so all I have is a little T-shaped bar to rotate the discs. Lock is still in pieces from doing the how it works deal.
8/19/09- JK made animations for how the lock works. Provided pictures for that project so he could get the shape of things...lock still disassembled. Planning to hit up the NEX this weekend to get parts to finish up the prototpe
8/20/09- Discussed different tensioning techniques with jkthecjer. We came up with a couple ideas. One good idea was to put pressure on the dimple checking plates after rotating the do-hicky in picture 3 prior to picking which would force the plates out to the plug but not keep them from turning. To do this you would have to find a method to stop the 0 discs from rotating when you apply tension to the plug as the discs are connected to the do-hicky. One method discussed to accomplish this is to insert small wire into the split at the keyhole end of the cage (do-hicky) in the top and bottom of the key hole then tape the wire to the lock body to hold the 0 discs in postion while tensioning so you don't accidentally turn them also. If you can get enough frintion between the dimple checking plates and the plug you should be able to rotate the entire plug in the padlock body.
Another method discussed was the possibility of compressing the spring slightly to stick wire in the grooves in the body where the dimple checker goes with an improper key. Or possibly compressing it and putting something in before the first disc to interact directly with the return bars. If that worked then you could make a little spacer type thing on the tool to prevent the bars from stacking. This spring compression thing is all completely theory though since I don't have my spring and JK doesn't have any Protecs with him.
For questions or comments contact me by email or on the lockpicking 101 forums or IRC.