If This fix doesnt work and you need a reliable and certified Safe technician, check www.savta.org/ and do a search there. Here is a link to a commenter that appears to be a trustworthy safe professional, If you re in Illinois, he is worth calling, www.hkssystems.com/ He also has a great youtube channel ru-vid.com/show-UCMI4ciEEB5pBidM--SEndtg
Jose, you are a life saver and a safe saver. I had looked on RU-vid shortly after the keypad on my Winchester safe quit working about two years ago. I didn't find anything that would help. Just recently, I looked again and found your video. On your recommendation, I went directly to eBay and purchased one of the 5715SC keypads. It arrived today, June 18, 2024 and I was beside myself trying to get it installed. In a word, Perfect. Thank you, Jose!!
I am stunned your electronic lock actually lasted 20 years. I can't even keep count of the horror stories I have read about as well as first hand accounts of failed electronic safe locks. Good video.
I think the key to that was his safe was 20 years old and everything is worse and worst quality As It Gets newer and newer. Stuff manufactured now probably won't last two years.
@@DConstructiveCritic I read about these things failing so often, and when they do it's usually with a great deal of grief including having the damn door drilled, I just can't seem to fathom why these electronic locks are so popular.
Joe, I recently viewed your video on how you fixed the safe that you display in this video. For the last few years I had been having problems opening my Cannon Safe and I had been playing with the idea of contacting a lock smith to come fix my safe. I viewed your video several times and then I went ahead and took off the key pad on my safe and checked the internal wiring, and found that it looked just as the one in your old key pad. I went ahead an ordered a new key pad, the LaGard 5715SC through Ebay, the Kingman Security Group in Upland, Ca., and it arrived within two days. I installed the new key pad as you instructed and it works like a charm. Thank you for taking the time to make this video, you saved me some big bucks, Thanks Again!!
You're the man! I had a safe that was locked and wouldn't open, and decided to purchase a new keypad before calling a locksmith and getting it drilled out. Pulling the ribbon from the keypad that was inserted on the external circuit board, and plugging the new keypad ribbon into the same circuit board did the trick! You're a life saver!
Just want to say THANK YOU! Saved me the cost of a locksmith. Purchased a $90. Kaba replacement lock which is LaGarda compliant. Took about 1p minutes to install. Works like a charm! There is also a manual combination lock setup that you can change out the electronic lock if you so wish. I'm still on the fence about the manual combo? About the same $. Anyway, I don't make many comments bit truly wanted you to know my appreciation anf respect for researching and posting this absolute perfect fix! God bless!
@@ExtremeDIYGuy Fit a mechanical combo lock, the basic design hasn't changed in over 150 years. Many original locks are still working - proven design. Will always let you know if there is a problem, unlike digital locks, one second they are working, then nothing.
I could've done that! for(899.95$) + mileage,lunch,something cold to drink,.......+++++) I am a locksmith,& I would have done close to exactly the same things you did.Very good job!
Absolutely worked. Locksmith said 500-600 to open. They “could” also replace the lock. It’s such a difficult job. I wrote him back saying it’s disgusting what he would charge. Thanks for saving me 500.00.
As a locksmith with 25+ years of experience I have some points to make on this video 1) always try replacing the battery first (this is about 3/4 of my service calls when the safe "is dead") 2) inspect the cable to make sure it is not pinched causing a short 3) after these 2 are addressed, try the keypad replacement but if you have made it to here, that only works about 15% of the time (it's usually the internal chip in the lock body that has failed) 4) after you penetrate a container door, it take a lot more than just a screwdriver in the hole to open it. 5) electronic locks and mechanical locks have different drill points, and if you have to penetrate an electronic lock, it will need to be replaced so even the new one would have to be destroyed in order to open it through that hole. 6) any safe technician worth their salt will plug any penetration points put into the container, and generally it is harder to penetrate that same location again if any attention to drill resistance was accounted for in the repair process.
I am not a locksmith. I do have some knowledge of electronics. I'm very surprised to hear it's most often the chip that fails. In my experience chip failure is the least common point . #1 is of course power. #2 operator error / misuse. #3 parts / hardware interface (wear, breaks, shorts due to movement &fatigue. A battery powered circuit inside what is effectively a Faraday cage is the least failure prone part.
As a second point only put lithium batteries into safe locks. A technician will usually have a jump pack to help a weakened electronic bolt as well. Drilling sucks I hate doing it
@@JoeSmith-cy9wj Reply to an old comment, but: You're right on that list of likely issues, but there's a bias here and that's what people call locksmiths for. Most people who use safes everyday become comfortable with popping the cover off to replace batteries. Operator issues are super uncommon (because the owner usually operates the safe all the time), especially with keypads, and can be diagnosed over the phone. So then we only get called to a safe job when there is a legit hardware failure. In my experience it's a little more likely that a button on the pad failed than a lock body component, but it still happens more than you think.
When working on your safe, LOCK YOUR DOOR OPEN that way if you pull your cable out or pinch it you don't have to call a lock smith. I cringed when you shut it then pulled the keypad.
Once the door is open it's best to replace the lock as that is often a point of failure. Once the door is open NEVER close it again with thoroughly testing the lock with the door upon. Replacing the lock itself is pretty straightforward. Life saving tip: Photograph everything before taking it apart. You may need to refer to the photo.
My safe has this feature that forces you to close it so I am locked out good now. While the door is open the pins will not retract. I closed it and even tho I followed the directions on setting up the code it won't take my code. My pass port is in there :(
U got lucky. FYI Electronic locks can often be opened with a large rare earth magnet in about 15 seconds. I never buy a safe that doesnt use a S&G type 2 or better manual dial lock. To each his own. But I am glad u got urs open. Goes to show you don't always believe what so called experts tell you. I would have done exactly what you did. Research and give it a try. Good job.
Surprised you got Cannon to answer the phone. I have a worthless lifetime warranty on my Cannon Safe, but they didn't answer the phone nor gave me any help when my safe broke. I had the same problem about 5 years ago and fixed it the same way you did.
I have the same safe. The keypad went out about 10 years ago. Cannon overnighted me a new one at no cost to me. I did exactly what Joe did to get the safe open, but, I ordered a Sargent & Greenleaf dial lock and swapped it out. Those electronic locks just don't last.
Great video! You also answered my question where exactly the combo numbers are stored. I am also changing my Securam digital lock over to a mechanical Sargent & Greenleaf in the case of an EMP or other type of electrical surge that could fry the electronics in the keypad. I've had my safe for over 6 years and I'm probably over-concerned about being able to get inside but with the current state of the world right now you just never know. Thanks again!
Awesome that worked. I had that concern when I bought my safe. On mine, the keypad twists off and reveals a large hole for a key. Never had to use the key, but good to know I can.
Before you just plug in the cable, make sure that the wire colors are the same on the new/old cable. Companies very rarely change what colors they use for different signals on wires, but the guy who designed the new circuit board might have swapped signal positions to the connector. There's a really high likelihood they included the cable that goes through the door specifically because they haven't always maintained the same pinout on the keypad side. If they swapped power and ground, you guarantee the need to drill if you hook it up without checking 'cuz you'll let the magic smoke out _inside_ the safe. A four-wire serial connection like that is either Power (Red), Ground (Black), Data In, Data Out or Power (Red), Ground (Black), Data, Clock. If power/ground were not swapped but the data lines were, it has very low likelihood of doing damage, but it just won't open. As a serious technophile, I can't bring myself to trust an electronic lock on my gun safe. As you said, you waited five weeks before you went to eBay. Since I learned locksport, I'll never trust a keyed lock. The round locks might _look_ more secure, but trust me, they're not! Old-fashioned rotary combination is the only lock I trust on my safe. Yes, they can fail too, but the only time I've heard of it actually happening is because of gross abuse or neglect.
I have been through the same thing when my keypad died. It would have been easier if I could have watched this video beforehand. I was able to open my safe and turned the locking bars open to prevent total failure. Cannon was helpful with the replacement, but I had to take the inside panel off to get to the mechanism. Good to know an easier way now. I also had to replace another dial lock failure on my late father's safe and the previous experience helped, as the company (Liberty) sent a keypad to replace the dial.
I have the same cannon. In 2017 my pad failed as well. Unfortunately my search only revealed a lock company that charged me 335.00 for a replacement pad. But it did save drilling it. My safe was the same safe except a little bigger. It worked. The sad part is that the original key pad lock only had a poorly soldiered connection.
One would assume so. The person I spoke to at Cannon was a customer service person, not tech support. they got the serial number, told me the locks were on back order and that it should ship out within a week. They also told me that the safe needed to be drilled and gave me the information to give the locksmith so they could call cannon and get the information on exactly where to drill. I'm not making this up. One other thing to consider is that they don't manufacture the lock sets themselves. They use LaGard locks. Still you make a good point. When I called the second time to ask if the lock set had been shipped, I explained exactly what I planned to do. The customer service rep wasn't receptive to the idea that it would work but was apologetic about the delay in shipping. Maybe I should call back and talk to the technical support folks and ask why customer service is advising customers to drill.
@@ExtremeDIYGuy Sounds like a bit more communication between customer service and tech support would do them some favours. Great video as always. Thanks Jose.
My dial lock only lasted 6 years and they gave me that back order crap and i told them it was a liability issue and i would be tearing them a new ass if i was robbed
I didn't need to know all of what he was doing but brilliantly it eventually showed me how to change the batteries to a American Heritage Safe from Costco. It has the exact same lock. Since there is no visible mounting screws on the lock housing.. I did not want to damage the housing trying to get off to change the battery. This video showed me how to access the battery.
Good info only if you have a faulty keypad. New keypad upgrades only work with the specific lock . And if a safe drill is needed a locksmith should & could put another style so the drill hole does not compromise the safe security integrity. But yes your basic keypad are interchangeable. Good job Diagnosing
I've been a locksmith for 20 years, key pads go bad ALL THE TIME! I highly recomend an S&G DIAL. or if you HAVE to have a keypad, go with S&G. (Sargent and Greenleaf) LaGuard dials and pads are POO!
How do you find out what’s compatible with your safe, as in compared to the 5715 LaGard. My original LaGard key pad is at least 20 yrs old and made of solid heavy duty copper and much heavier battery wires. They sure went to hades! Cant find anything that’s not cheep plastic!!
Get a dial lock, if you're keeping your home defense gins in it you already screwed up so whats wrong with a safe that may take a little longer to gain entry but is far more reliable than one with an electric lock.
Great video... one of my biggest concerns in buying a new safe. dial vs digital. Now that I see this I will have more questions to the locksmith where I'm buying our safe.
You should replace the inside unit as well. It was a 60/40 chance that the outer unit failed first. These electronic locks last five to ten years and the closer you are to ten the closer you are to being locked out. This is not a secret in the industry. You made the right bet though and it is somewhat surprising how many pro safesmiths are not aware of your fix and others don't want to tie up money with different keypads sitting around. You can get a new complete electronic lock for less than $100 and that is usually an easy self install. Some folks will even order two so they will have a second keypad that is a guaranteed fit if they need it someday. Sometimes a mechanical one will be a direct screw in replacement as well. If the mechanical lock is not a direct fit it requires some machinists knowledge and tools to make it fit. Not for the average do it yourselfer. Mechanical locks can fail too but it is rare and they are usually decades old. In my experience I will replace 20 electronic locks before I have to do 1 mechanical.
From my research I have determined the mechanical locks do last longer but I went with a electronic pad for the ease of access, I have another video of replacing the internal mechanism as well. Thanks for the helpful insight!
Im not surprised these locksmiths do not know i have ran into this same thing time and time again that the people who sell it really do not know the product that well.
Here is another fix, i know this is an old post but try this as well, this worked for me, take out fresh battery, push buttons for aprox 1 minute to discharge all stored energy or power, put battery back in and it worked , i was able to use my original combo to get in....
Nice job saving money. The thing people don't understand about safes are that they're 90% junk! Most home safes bought can just be ' Bounced open' not going to explain the way to do it but believe me it works
Great video!! I have a dial safe because I was concerned about this issue. You have changed my mind on the digital keypad safes. When it first unlocked, I said out loud “ha ha!” then you said the same thing in the same way. Lol.
I store mine in my shed. In the winter it gets really cold. Keypad works, combination works but tumblers won’t open. New battery installed, tumblers still don’t open. In warm weather, it works fine.
@@ExtremeDIYGuy it’s been there for the past five years. Every winter I have this issue. Way too big to fit inside the house. It is a widebody 48 rifle safe. Also, it is heavier than hell so I’m not moving that thing inside.
Firstly, once the door was open, you should have left it open to work on it, just in case lock would have failed for whatever reason. Secondly, depending on the age of lock, you probably should have replaced the actual lock itself since you have a new keypad. Thirdly, a competent safe technician would have repaired the hole properly to make the next drill attempt insanely hard, as well as match the paint to make it look like nothing was ever done to the safe. A small precision hole which is repaired is absolutely the right thing to do VS cutting the safe open. Especially if it's a high end safe VS a lower end economical one. Also, when safes are installed properly, they are not only bolted down, but protected on the rear, top and sides which make it virtually impossible to cut them open without cutting through other barriers first. Many people scoff at the cost of safe drillings, but when people have made the investment in security, they don't want to destroy 10k plus dollars over a $200 lock lol.
Thanks, sounds like sound advice. Unfortunately, I did not have the lock so only replaced the keypad. Since then, Cannon sent me a replacement lock and keypad and I have since replaced both (I posted that video tonight). I understand that a drilled safe can be sealed \without being compromised, however, the locksmiths that I contacted in my local area didn't inspire much confidence in their work. Incidentally, I made a comment on contacting SAVTA to find a reputable safe tech should anyone need one. I have no qualms against good safe technicians and have no problem directing people towards them!
@@300zxdriver you build around the safe, essentially walling off the sides and top. It's the same concept as a bank vault. A vault is only exposed on the front where the door is.
I think that it is worth mentioning that you should also before doing anything make sure you have a new Fresh and I repeat fresh battery I had a similar problem I replaced the battery even though all the beeps were happening everything seemed to be working properly but I replace the battery and it still didn't work later I found out that the battery I had replaced with had been hanging around for a few months the next step is I went and got a brand new battery now when I checked the batteries with my little battery checker they all checked as being okay in the green but the new battery was slightly more strong I installed that new battery fresh and the safe began working and has worked to this day so maybe check the battery before you do anything make sure you've got a fresh as good as it can be battery
You should never work on your safe door closed and locked. Always do the job with the door open and bolts in locked position so you don't get locked out if something doesn't work. Then test it a few time with the door open to make sure it is working, then do it with the door closed.
@@ExtremeDIYGuy Yep! Just recently cut open the top/back portion of a small Fire King high security safe only because the top door was locked and had to access MRC from SG 6120 electronic lock. Again Kudos to your method of circumventing a drill on your safe!
I remember when electronic locks were first offered on safes. I also remember shaking my head and saying no thanks. I know it's 2 years later now but Amazon has Sargent and Greenleaf group 2 locks for $100, comes with a change key too.
Great video. You should have kept the safe door open when you unplugged the front control unit to mount it. Then a final mounted rest. You are lucky it worked after the final install. Again, GREAT video. Thanks for sharing.
If you drill it you drive in a hardened steel pin and weld it. That thing would be more secure than new. You wouldn't have to weld a tapered pin (you can use a roller from a tapered roller bearing) except the surface steel on these is so thin if you don't it will only be solidly inserted in the lock mounting plate allowing the possibility of hole sawing the outer layer and pulling it out. Of course you can also weld it on the backside of the mounting plate inside the safe.
The solenoid in mine failed. Locksmith drilled it for 300 bucks. I drove in a bearing to make it a challenge to drill again. And I switched to an EMP proof dial lock!
I have a Cannon safe. The combination is 6 characters. Recently it starts beeping on the fifth character and goes to lockout mode. Im going to change the battery and see if that works, if it doesn't Im going to try this. I feel like it may be the key pad. Thanks for the great video !!!!
As others have said when replacing a lock always try and do with the door open. Throw the detent so it locks open. When removing the old lock watch out for relockers. Always put it back the same way or you will wind up drilling it. Newer lock models like securam have the lock and face mated. So you can’t just walk around with a face and open safes.
Most safe locks are backwards compatible. Just a tip, if you are working on a dead keypad on a Secure Ram style lock the board on the keypad is paired with the lock. If you have this same issue with nonresponsive buttons you can order a new lock, take both keypads apart, take the new button portion, move the circuit board over to the new key pad and plug in your lock. Put your battery in, if you get link ok just hit your code and open. Consider it a free tip from a safe guy.
When you drill a safe you repair the hole by driveing in a tapered pin cutting it off flush with the door. Then repaint the door and you would have to redrill the safe again to open it in the same way you did the first time you drilled it.
Drilling a safe doesn't compromise it if it's done correctly. However, this is why it's so expensive. A good lock smith knows where to drill and how to drill to get the safe open without damaging it. Once opened and the necessary repairs have been made. The lock smith will weld up the drilled hole, grind it smooth, then paint the door so the point of penetration is hidden. Higher security safes have more security measures built into the door. For example... Besides thicker and harder grades of steel. They may employ other technologies like carbide and tungsten chunks cast into the steel or even a tempered glass plate between the door and locking mechanism to thwart drilling attacks. The tempered glass plate if drilled will break releasing a lockout mechanism. The tungsten and carbide require special drilling techniques and the sacrifice of many expensive drill bits requiring considerably more time and skill to gain entry.
If this doesn't work for someone, In theory, if you know the battery voltage you should still be able to open the safe. If you can figure out which wires on the connector need to be powered to activate the solenoid......you could use wires to hook to a power supply or power with a battery pack and send power to the right spots on the connector......this would force the solenoid to actuate ...cool video
Yeah, after my electronic key pad started going whonkie, I opened the safe, removed all items called my local locksmith company that also deals in safes. I ordered a Sargent and Greenleaf mechanical safe dial and had them install it. It took all of two hours for them to do it. Now I have no problems with my safe opening and I have no worries that it will go whonkie again or EMP problems. No more electronic locks for me ever. Edit: Oh yea it was about a $250.00 insurance plan / peace of mind.
How about an electronic panel that requires the cable different from the one you had? Mine is about the same we use on the back of the PC Router. Thanks.
You might have been able to do it even easier. I would have removed the first sticker and then cleaned the green board with isopropyl alcohol. The way the keypress works is the little pattern under each key is bridged when you press the button. If the buttons dont retract or if the coating ls degrade there can be a bit of debris between the little pattern. If there is anything bridging those then it will often lock up the processor as it will read as a continuous button press or it wont read a press at all. This is also an issue with TV remotes. If you clean it and it starts to work you can just use something to touch the green pads direct. It doesnt take much conductivity since the signal is boosted quite a lot which is why it works well and also why it is easily jammed up by anything. You can actually see the smear of carbon on the button on the left side middle. Cleaning that might have got it running again. On remotes with squishy non clicky buttons there is often a carbon pad on the bottom of the button that just pushes against the green and that is what activates it.
Great video. I will try cleaning next, as # button does not work . After looking at replacement keypads (5715) with correct cabling I notice there are now two backlit lighting buttons INSTEAD of # and * buttons...........do those buttons function as before, or do you think they just control the back lighting now. Other keypads for sale with correct matching key layout have much different cabling, so probably wont match.Thanks!!!!! @@ExtremeDIYGuy
Thank you for this great video ! You saved me a whole lot of money. My only problem is, even though there is holes on top and bottom, they are not threaded. Now I just have to crook my head a little sideways to hit the buttons. lol No big deal.
Lol, You might try a tap, just have to figure out what size it is. You can get cheap ones that are pretty much disposable. Canting my head sideways would drive me nuts.
My safe came with a Digital combo lock and that failed after ten or so years. I had the locksmith scheduled to come out and open the safe when, just for the Hell of it, I tried the combo one more time and CLUNK the safe opened. Sure as HELL I locked the safe door in the OPEN position as I was going to be home the entire time till the safe tech showed up. After due consideration, I reluctantly replaced the digital combo with a conventional, mechanical, spin-lock. My second safe (yes I own a few guns) has a similar LG digital combo. I talked to a safe locksmith the other day and he assured me that the digital WILL fail, it is just a matter of next week, next month, a year or a decade from now. I feel like I am on borrowed time and plan on getting a spin lock put on that one too.
All digital locks have about a ten year life span. Not bad if you consider what other items dont last that long. For about $350 to $400 you can have a new lock kit installed, atleast thats what we charge. Lock included. This only pertains to a good digitsl lock, not a crapy residential grade lock.
I just replaced my failed digital keypad with a Sargent and greenfield dial lock. Took 40 minutes and feel good knowing that it’s more reliable than the keypad.
If you like electric locks, but don’t want to live with the fear of one failing, you need to get the SecuRam Safelogic Xtreme lock, it’s a redundant safe lock, it is a electronic keypad with a dial lock back up just in case the electronic part fails you can use the dial lock to get in your safe. They are $300 so yeah they are not a cheap lock, but still cheaper than a lock smith when the electronic lock inside fails
I had a CANNON safe electronic keypad die on me, it wasn`t even a year old yet. I tried 2 new keypad`s, it did not fix it. Both new keypads would do what they were suppose to do, and also beep, but the internal locking unit had failed. Ended up ruining the safe by cutting into the door to remove the lock. I no longer will EVER buy another safe again that does not come with a set of backup keys. As far as CANNON customer service, they were ZERO help. When i replaced the safe with a new one, it wasn`t a CANNON, that`s for sure.
IDK why they would both say to drill it. Unless they don't care and want to sell a new safe. Sometimes a lock like that can be replaced with a S&G mechanical lock. They're built to last.
