I have released my own design of a simple lock system that will unlock under water. A craftsman can make a cuff or a padlock that will work with this system.
These are hand drawings of an original idea that does not exist in the craft. I will also be doing one or two more papers to expand on this idea.
I have done enough testing to know this will work. It dosn't work on weights or floats it is my own original concept. The paper is free just let me know what e mail to send it to.
Norm Bigelow
Aside from a number of mechanical faults that clearly show this design will not even function as a lock, there is the simply terrifying "pill" that is supposed to dissolve allowing a plunger to drop down and the lock to open.
In some ways, this lock concept reminds me of the supposed German wonder weapons that The History Channel says would have won the war if only they had six more months. We derisively refer to those as
Napkinwaffen. They have been developed to the sketch on a bar napkin stage. There is nothing wrong with that; all designs have to begin somewhere, but that is not a design. It is a half baked concept.
I think the disc lock mechanism could be made to work if it were refined. Whether it would make a good lock is another question. It would be largeish, as the disc needs a fair amount of size to accommodate the various plungers and tabs. That counts against it right there. It also has the potential of being finicky. That would be a death sentence for the design. The user may have his own ideas about that, too.
There is the unaddressed issue of ensuring the various parts operate and don't get jammed by dirt or corrosion. When I use firearms for serious purposes, I like to disassemble, inspect, and lube them first. I want to be sure they work. That feature, and the ability to reload the pill, must be worked into the design without adding too much size or making the thing look like an escape artist's gizmo.
The issue of mating a serviceable lock cylinder to this device remains difficult and unexplored.
Then there is, as you describe it, "the simply terrifying 'pill.' " It may be both the simplest and most complicated component of the lock. Frankly, the first thing I thought of when I saw the title of Norman's thread was, "Ah, stick an aspirin tablet in it." They dissolve quickly and well. You point out the issue of water entry and air exit. This is an absolutely critical design feature, which the napkin sketch does not cover. If the venting is too large, it becomes obvious. If it is too small, surface tension can keep the water out. Internal shapes can trap air. The cavity for the disk mechanism has the potential to trap a lot of air. This is a feature that must be extensively demonstrated to show that it will work in the field - or rather, in the tank.
This is a device that cannot be "pretty good." It must be effing bombproof. I don't think the design can be made simple enough to be bombproof. As Norman stated in his paper, you ought to have a Plan B, if you use this thing. I still say, maybe that Plan B should be Plan A.
We have a couple of noteworthy Professionals in the field who don't think much of this concept. Love them or hate them, they know their trades, and cannot be dismissed as hacks. If, as I understand, the concept has been out there for thirty years, it appears they are not alone. So far, the design hasn't passed the Fishing Lure Test.
At this point, it seems that it's time to put tool to metal and build a prototype. This will be necessary anyway, to iron out the inevitable flaws. That's what prototypes are for.
