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So I'm working on a new masterkeying program for 2016.

It's just for Schlage locks at the moment; doing 5 and 6 pins.

So I was wondering what would be some cool features that you would like to see in a MK program. I can totally customize it in any shape and form.

So far I'm going to make it count total number of change keys and masterkeys (by type, and whether they're Good, Bad, or Ugly).

I'm also going to have it count total number of bottom pins, master pins, and top pins (by size).

I am also going to include a Bitting List.

Example of a layout I'm choosing would be like:

MK 000000

CK 020202 BP 000000 MP 020202 TP LLLLLL
CK 040202 BP 000000 MP 040202 TP LMLLLL
CK 060202 BP 000000 MP 060202 TP LMLLLL

Top pins will be Small, Medium, or Large depending on the bitting.

This makes it easier for me to count.

So any other ideas?

Looks good.
We use a very old Master keying software program here that runs on a Windows XP virtual machine and a parallel dongle...not supported by the manufacturer.

I know from my one experience doing a master keyed job it would be nice to have integrated Maison keying and a way to generate a unique key to that Maison keyed door within the system. It would also be nice to have a way to pre plan for the next rekeyings when you get called out later on by adding on other change keys but with the option to print them or keep them hidden. This way you know the master key and Maison keyed lock will work with future rekeys but the apartment manager won't have the information to pass onto the next locksmith if he had a copy of the bitting chart you used.

I hope I conveyed my ideas understandably enough.

Be able to select the progression order. Too programs I've seen start at the last chamber and rotate like an odometer picking up each chamber then starting over. There was one, I forget which, where at system creation you could select the progression order like: 3-6-1-5-2-4, or even just rotate a few chambers. It was a handy feature.

Good luck! What are you writing it in?

http://www.rabbitsoft.us/
Master keying Software.
Took a class a couple years ago. The instructor was also the software Developer.

I've looked up Maison keying.

I would probably fill up the lock with #2 master pins in all chambers.

I'm doing the program in Microsoft Excel at the moment.

I wanted to talk to the owner of Rabbit Soft when I saw him at a locksmith convention at the Disneyland Hotel. I was going to ask him what programming language did he use. I've been looking at the Khan Academy on Youtube for learning programming. Just need more time.

I'm making two programs at once.

One is a simple one without showing all the various masters.

The second one is showing you all possible masters in a system.

I've done up to 16 pages with 5 progressions at the moment.

That is a great project. You learn a lot of coding and you end up with a very useful program.
I am trying to make keys and 3 levels of master keys for some old Corbin Series 59 Ring locks. I thought I could de-code the masters from the pins but I found that the locks I have did not all share the same master series. Bummer. Some of the locks even had empty pin stacks. I have made an inventory of the pins that I have from all of the locks and am trying to see what I can pin up from what I have. I have an old Corbin re pinning kit, MK-2, but it will not work with my ring locks.
Anyway, this project will keep me off the streets and may even cause me to loose some more hair but it will be a fun exercise and I should learn a lot of more things that I will never use again.
Good luck with your program......
Steve

MK2 which we use circa 1991 has this feature, as does the updated version, PowerKeyTwo (both made by Locksoft)

Found the one I was thinking of, too: TMK Plus by Framon.

Using Excel I've made three different master key charts, 1 16 page 5 pin two step progression system, one is a 64 page 6 pin two step progression master key system, and lastly a 256 page A2 master key system that when you set it up gives you a complete pinning chart.

I don't like complicated systems so I try to keep it down to using only native master/submaster keys so I don't have to worry about cross keying.

Isn't there software that just generates all this for you?

Yes...but it ain't cheap.

I uploaded some screenshots of my work in progress.

I uploaded only a single page MK system as I was running in some trouble with my 16 page program.

So I figured why not just complete a 1 page program and save it, then continue from there.

It may be a 1 page MK system but you may notice it still has 6 progressions.

Some locksmiths don't believe in using a constant, as in having the master cut number within a change key number.

So I just progressed all of them so all chambers are mastered. This is the way my boss at work does it so I have to follow his rules when I create a master key system for him.

The Sample1 pic shows only relevant masters, even though there are more hidden ones.

Sample2 shows the good change keys.

Sample 3 shows a some various masters and all the relevant keys under it.

With a one page MK System you have a one Page Master, four Vertical Group Masters, four Horizontal Group Masters, sixteen Block Masters, sixty-four Change Keys, sixteen Vertical Line Masters, sixteen Horizontal Line Masters, and four 16-Line Masters. {edited}

I know it sounds all complicated but these are the so called Ghost Keys that articles keep mentioning.

I was always taught these are just master keys that can be useful if need be in special situations.

My teacher was pretty fanatic when it came to masterkeying.

I almost forgot to mention, there is a chart above that shows exactly how many BPs and MPs are used in this master key system. I didn't do the TPs yet.

I also have the ability to see how many change keys are good and bad. The same goes for the various master keys.

So basically I can play around with the MK bitting and Sequence Of Progression to maximize my total number of change keys.

Nice!!

It looks like your program can only make grand masters key systems with 64 masters and 64 change keys under each master. Can you make it so that the user can choose how many positions are used for the masters and how many for the change keys ?

Can you make it support maison keying ? If possible , a separate maison cylinder under each master key.

Can your program identify bad keys , other than MACS violation ? Maximum repetition or pull-out codes , for example.