Code entry door-lock problem

I would first confirm that the solenoid was working properly by seperately powering it.

Unfortunately its not mine, its inside a venue I hire, but I'm one of the people it refuses to work with. The management have brought in the company who supplied it and they "changed the lock" whatever that means, but the same problem. I suspect a mechanical misalignment problem due to someone being locked-out, validlt or invalidly, and very forcibly straining the door/lock as their seems more of a gap at closure of the door , to the frame, than I'd expect for a door.

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Monthly public talks on science topics, Hampshire , England

Dodgy keypad? Intermittent connection?

The matrix returns an incorrect digit used in some folks 4-digit codes?

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Adrian C

It has been my historical experience, having maintained a few hundred of these devices over time, is that moment such a thing starts to go funny, replace it entirely.

Batteries *must* be replaced quarterly - sure, the literature 'suggests' annually, but a low battery will play merry hell with the internal programming, however the manufacturer might suggest otherwise.

Given that in my applications, lives, quite literally, depended on the reliable operation of these locks, I took no chances.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

A bit more info the keypad/electronics part is by codelocks.com fitted to Union Locks traditional door furniture including physical key to override the electronics, for if the battery dies, (or erroneous lock out of course). The "company" has returned 3 or 4 times now, but whatever they change, the intermittent functioning returns after they have left. Intermittent in the sense of reliable functioning for numerous days and people and then a continuous batch of failure as I said 30 or 40 times, and return to normal function the next day/s.

If a keypad matrix problem then the red light should come on presumably.

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Monthly public talks on science topics, Hampshire , England

The cost of those return visits has well-exceeded the cost of replacing th e lock outright. Unless there is some level of local interference (not comm on, but I have seen this a time-or-four), that lock should have been replac ed and should be operating flawlessly.

Now, on a couple of occasions, a local machine in operation stepped all ove r the locks nearby. One being an open MRI machine, the other being a defect ive hyfrecator. Both cases were solved with by installing shielded locks (a nd the hyfrecator was also replaced, of course). Do you have any unusual eq uipment within about 20' of that lock, especially something that is intermi ttent in use?

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

Interesting , I could see electronics connected to metalwork set in a wooden door, being susceptible to electronic smog, but only the decoding side of things or all , not just the power side of the delatching. But over much the same time as this problem, they installed a unit that uses the LoRaWAN structure , 850MHZ. It has enough power for city-wide data capture but limited to a short data-squirt ,probably less than

10KB, every 15 minutes, unlikely to affect this codelock over 30/40 attempts I'd have thought, but it would explain the intermittency. Also the RF from its external antenna and external generation, has to pass through an external wall and 1 or 2 internal walls to get to this door. Whether there is insufficient/lack of choking on the DC supply wiring to this unit and large amount of RF being propogated over the mains wiring of the building 4 times an hour , unknown.

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Monthly public talks on science topics, Hampshire , England

All it takes is one component within the lock to be sensitive to the interference - and to be "stunned" for some period after the initial hit to explain your 30/40 attempts.

Otherwise, the gremlins have it in for you, personally.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

There is no ferrite ring or clamp-over on any of the visibly exposed part of the DC cable to the external monitor+transmitter. I have to wonder how any hyfrecator gets thru EMI/RFI compliance tests.

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Monthly public talks on science topics, Hampshire , England

They don't. Medical equipment for specialty surgical use. Not subject to compliance requirements.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA