I've got a problem, 100% legal too! My neighbor gave me an old Mac Duo Dock with a PowerBook wedged inside. Everything works but when I went to eject the sucker (its motorized insert/eject) it refused to do so. I just now found a PDF of the original manual and there is a lock on the side to prevent casual theft as obviously nobody would steal the whole dock right? The manual lays out several things: 1) Don't lose the two keys it came with 2) If you do, write to some company that likely went out of business in 1999 with the tag info that is attached to the keys you apparently don't have anymore 3) Call a locksmith I'm hoping one of my fellow members knows something about picking locks and might be able to give me a few pointers to get this thing cracked open. I'm contemplating making a bump key but I have no experience in making or using them. I hate you Apple.
You can ether drill the lock out, get a locksmith, or pick it yourself. Is the lock a standard lock, or a tubular lock? If it's a standard lock, you can use a tension wrench and a pick to open it. But it's much easier to use a pick gun and open it that way. If it's a tubular lock, you'll need a tubular lock pick. But those (for me anyways) are much harder to use. I could never work it out.
I don't think so. Most docking stations have an embedded lock which keeps the notebook attached to the dock. Usually the Kensington locks go on the outside to secure the docking station to a table.
I don't believe its a Kensington lock. Thankfully it looks like a standard lock rather than tubular. Tried to fit in a key for a MasterLock padlock but it wouldn't slide in, however it looks like it'd be about the same size and shape to fit the lock itself. I'll see if any of my friends have a pick gun.
A pick gun just hammers the pins hard so that they bounce, break the sheer-line and allow you to open the lock. Think of newtons cradle and you'll get the idea. With proper use, you can use a pick-gun and open a lock in seconds.
yeah i watched a video on youtube explaining it, I knew about lock bumping but didn't know you could buy a handy lil device to bump the pins that easily
If it is similar to a cabinet lock that takes a flat key not a round tumbler style, very simple. Jam a slotted screwdriver in the key hole with light taps of a small hammer. Cinch down tight a pair of vice grips on the screwdriver shank and bust the latch. As others pointed out you can also drill it out, watch where the metal shavings go.
http://homepage.mac.com/micahgartman/web/sahnapiranha/ug/ug_duodock2.pdf Page 12 and 13 have more or less pictures. Sorry about the orientation of the pages but I didn't scan these... While I appreciate the suggestions for just getting it open, I want to preserve the lock. I know I won't be able to use it as-is but I can get it re-keyed if I want. I just don't wish to destroy an otherwise (almost) immaculate piece of mid-90s computer hardware. Otherwise I'd have taken a drill to it outright as I've done that before.
If getting the laptop out is your main objective, can't you just take the top cover off as shown in the manual? While you're in there, you can probably remove the latch piece on the lock that's either physically locking the drive mechanism, pressing a switch or blocking an optoisolator.
That thought did occur to me a few minutes ago. But its a long story, he won rights to a storage unit's contents at auction and gave me some random computer parts one day then offered me a few boxes of stuff the next. I didn't even realize there was a physical lock on the thing until today. While he might potentially still have the key, I sincerely doubt he even has a clue what its for. Plus he has had a garage sale each weekend with the stuff for the last two weeks, I'll ask if he has found something but I don't think he would have kept it this long. That thought did just occur to me as well. It would seem the mechanism is meant to prevent casual theft as obviously anyone stealing the whole dock has all the time in the world to separate the bloody thing. I need to crack the dock open anyway to get something out of the floppy drive. As one of my friends has pointed out to me about this, learning how to pick locks could prove handy in the future. EDIT: ^ The lock we are dealing with. I can't crack it open as prescribed by the manual because the laptop is inserted and has to be removed first. No visible screws either...fun.
Do you care about the dock? (I.e is it valuable etc) It probably has those tabs most flatscreen tellies have to keep it shut you'll want to pry it open with something like a screwdriver but heres were you caring about it comes in. If you care about it you'll want to buy these small plastic tools that bend when too much force is applied and as such wont damage the plastic.
If you have something flat enough (screwdriver would be too thick, I think - if you have some PC-case rear expansion covers, that should fit in there) to slide along the sides of the laptop, you could push the two tabs the manual shows so you can lift the top off. If you look closely at the closeup picture on page 23, you can see it's just a plastic latch holding the top on, so no screws until you get inside of the unit.
Really, you just need to pick it open. If you don't have the tools for it, pay for a locksmith to do it. You won't get cleaner than having a pro do it for you. If your careless with the lock, you can brake the pins inside and you'll have to drill.
