broken cupboard

There's a cupboard at work with a combination lock that I occasionally had reason to get into.

We actually have several such cupboards, but this one used to have some bits in that I would regularly need to get to.  I say "used to", because I have transferred the bits I need access to over to another cupboard.

The reason I've done that is because the lock is fucked on the other cupboard.

I don't know if you've ever done a combination lock, but the idea is that you twiddle the dial clockwise and anticlockwise, stopping at the numbers that are the combination.  Well on this lock, the mechanism is so loose and sloppy you can't actually use the numbers, you have to go past the numbers.

So if a number to enter was 1, you'd actually have to go to something like 1.5 or 0.5 (depending on which direction you're coming from) in order for it to work.  So, in other words, you still have to "accurate" but you now have to be accurate with a number that's not a full number.

Well, as you can imagine that opens up all sorts of possible "real" combination values - if you say you have to be "half a degree out" how much is half a degree?  And do you have to be out by that exact amount each time?  Or does it vary for each number?

The annoying thing is that hen I first started using the cupboard I was able to work it out.  I couldn't get it first time, but I'd give it a go and it would pop open.

But then, a couple of weeks back, I suddenly couldn't do it any more.  And, to my shame, I got so annoyed with it, I actually walloped the lock with my fist.

Well, after that I was really worried I'd broken it, as it felt even sloppier.  Thankfully it turned out I hadn't, as a colleague was able to open it.

Frustratingly they were actually able to open it first time with only the vague instruction from me that it had to be "about half a degree out".  I was actually stunned when they opened it, because as I say, I thought I'd damaged it.

Well, after that I tried myself again to see if I'd regained the knack, but I hadn't and so I transferred my stuff to another cupboard.  This other cupboard works beautifully - the lock is crisp and you put in the numbers properly and it opens every time, no matter who's trying it.

I occasionally try to the crap cupboard, but still haven't opened it.