There is a master locksmith where I work so I had him look at the lock off one of my Vintage Nishijin in hope to have a key made. He looked at the lock and told me that it was a magnetic lock and you can only get keys made if the lock is licensed to you. The lock works with magnetic places along the key with the north and south poles in a set order so the same poles push the spring loaded magnetic tumblers back to release the locking mechanism so the key can turn. The number stamped on the lock gives the pin configuration. Unfortunately the pins on my locks fell out before I got the polarity of the pins, but the placement of the pins are in a plastic tapered sleeve along the top of the lock. There are 5 pin locations along the top on the lock for pins but only three are used. You can access it by unscrewing the 2 screws in the back and you should be able to slide it out. The spring-loaded pin configuration front to back on the locks.
Locks stamped #1 tumblers are in slots 1, 4, and 5
Locks stamped #2 tumblers are in slots 2, 4, and 5
Locks stamped #4 tumblers are in slots 1, 3, and 5
Locks stamped #5 tumblers are in slots 1, 2, and 5
The locksmith at work made me a master key, that I can change the magnetic pins around in to open any magnetic lock on the Vintage Nishijin pachinko machines. There are 5 slots drilled in the key that you slide the magnets in and out of, once you figure out the position and polarity, the lock opens right up.
The one in photo is just a prototype key for testing.
After several try’s to set the locks to the same position and polarity, I decided to just remove the springs and tumblers this is fairly easy to do. You'll have to remove the whole mechanism from the machine, and there will be 2 screws on the back of the lock itself. Remove them and it just slides out the back, then remove the pins and springs that are in a plastic sleeve. Put the sleeve back in and screw it all back together, and reinstall the lock back in the machine. This way any Master padlock key will work to open them. Another suggestion is to trade locks between other Pachinko owners until you have the same number on the locks on all your machines, so the one key will work on all of them. You will need the magnetic tumblers out of one of them to make the key with and some bar stock aluminum or brass. Or do what I did and you may want to save the springs and pins, just in case.
