Puzzle box 6 - Cryptic lock

myminifactory

This box is part of a collection of six 3x3x3cm puzzle boxes that share the same theme of removing lids from boxes through unique and interesting means. The boxes are ranked from one to six based on their difficulty, even though assembling them can reveal some of the mystery, they remain fascinating to solve and play with, as well as a great gift idea for friends to try solving. Printing settings: Supports: Only top wheel Infill: 20%+ (You need to print two spacers) Assembly: 1. Place the bottom wheel onto the axle with the catch facing upwards; it should spin freely. 2. Above the wheel, place one of the spacers, ensuring a friction fit. If necessary, use a shim or glue it in place. 3. Next, position the top wheel above the spacer, making sure it is oriented correctly (with the slot facing towards you and the catch on the right side). The wheel should rotate smoothly. 4. Cap off the stack with the second spacer, which should also provide a tight fit to hold everything in place. 5. On opposing sides of the box, there are grooves that go about three-quarters through the wall and slots that run all the way through. Align the disks' slots with the groove in the wall (due to the catches on the wheel, this might be slightly confusing). 6. Finally, put the lid on so that the prong slides through the groove in the wall and slots into the wheels until it is flush. Spin the box to scramble it (you may need to sand down the bumps on the prong to prevent interference with the wheels). Solution: Hint: It's based on a rotary safe lock, and the slot serves as a marker. Hint: The indentations on the top relate to the combination. Solution: 1. The three markings represent 1=1, 2=11, and 3=111. 2. After fully rotating the top twice clockwise, continue rotating it until the No1 marking aligns with the slot. 3. Be careful not to agitate the box excessively as you rotate it anticlockwise until the No2 marking lines up with the slot. 4. Finally, rotate the lid clockwise so that the No3 marking aligns with the slot and gently pull the lid up and out (for me, this works about one-quarter of the time, as the wheels can move unpredictably; you can widen the slits in the wheels to make it more forgiving).