How to use a MortiSafe

Basics

The following section explains how to use a MortiSafe in detail, it may look complex if you don't have one in front of you but it's quite straightforward when you do it. A summary of the steps are:

Initially the safe will be controlled by MortiThingy. Push the control button on the MortiThingy to allow the safe to be opened - a buzzer will sound to let you know the safe is not controlled by MortiThingy
Unlock the safe using the combination, then put keys etc in and lock it up
Push the control button again on the MortiThingy to allow it to take control of the safe - this will stop the safe being unlocked even with the combination
Run software on the PC to secure the MortiThingy based on a time limit or a lock code a dom has sent you. A light on the MortiThingy will change from blue to flashing red. This will prevent the control button from working, which will prevent the safe being unlocked
When the time expires, or when an unlock code is provided, the light will change back to blue and the button will become enabled. You can then press it, then unlock the safe and get your keys back

One thing to note is that the terms locked/unlocked, controlled/uncontrolled and secured/unsecured have specific meanings in this explanation and they're not interchangable.

If this is your first time using MortiSafe, keep the safe door open and follow these instructions (entering combination etc) with the door open. Don't close the door until you're satisfied that all parts are working and you understand how to operate it, but with the door open you can turn the handle as though you were locking and unlocking the safe.

Some times it seems that touching the MortiThingy or having your hand near the aerial while operating it weakens the signal and so it may seem that you're pushing a button but the safe is not reacting (or the safe becomes uncontrolled (ie openable) but the buzzer does not sound, or does not turn off when it should). If you experince this, try pushing the button without touching any other part of the MortiThingy.

Controlling the safe

The way in which the MortiThingy stops you unlocking the safe is by disconnecting the safe's electronics from the mechanical door closing mechanism (a soleniod), so when the electronics see that you've entered a correct combination, it will authorize the door to open for you but the door won't open unless the MortiThingy allows it. I call this 'controlling' the safe.

There's a 'Control' button on the MortiThiny which switches the safe between controlled and uncontrolled. There's also an 'uncontrolled' buzzer in the safe. The normal state is that the safe is controlled - it's quiet and when you enter the correct combination on the safe, nothing will happen. If you push the 'Control' button on the MortiThingy then the buzzer will sound and normal operation will be restored to the safe so you'll be able to use the safe combination to unlock and relock it (see next section).

The buzzer is there as a reminder of the state of the safe, but it's not a critical part of the system. If it's too noisy and you want to remove it, or if the battery for it (the 9v one) runs flat, it won't affect the security of the system, it just means you won't have a noisy reminder of whether the safe's controlled or not.

If you should ever disconnect the power that goes into the MortiReceiver, it will reset the state of the system to the 'Controlled' state.

Locking the safe

You should familiarise yourself with the instructions on how your safe works, but the safe's combination is not a part of the security of a MortiSafe, so you can set the combination to '1' (see Familiarising yourself with your digital safe).

Before you can use any of the safe features, you'll need to uncontrol the safe by pushing the 'Control' button. This will cause the buzzer to sound. If this is too annoying while you're experimenting, you could temporarily take out the 9v battery which powers the buzzer - but don't forget to put it back later.

On my safe (yours is probably similar) resetting the combination is done by:

Open the door
Push the button on the inside of the door near the hinge
Push '1' and 'A'
It will beep and flash to acknowlege the combination
Push '1' and 'A' again
You'll hear a clunk from inside and you'll be able to turn the handle to open the safe

You can do all that while the safe is controlled, you just won't get the 'clunk' at the end (the clunk is the door being opened but in controlled mode the MortiThingy won't let it open).

Securing the safe

So now, you can lock the safe and then let the MortiThingy control it. You're then relying on the control button on the MortiThingy to uncontrol the safe so you can use the combination to unlock it. However, you can use software on your PC to 'disable' that button, thereby securing the system, until some conditions are met.

There's two things you can do:

As a sub, you can receive a 'lock code' from a dom. You can use it to secure the safe, then it will only become unsecured if the dom gives you the 'unlock code' or if the code has an encoded time out and that time passes.
If you're into self-locking, you can specify a time (or a random time between two limits) then the system will stay secured until that time is up.

As a sub

Lets try this - assume your dom has sent you the following lock code:

L6de09e02a4376de09d1a

Run the application "MortiSafe_Sub.exe" which you downloaded earlier. Copy that code from above and paste it into the box and click on 'Apply code'. After a few messages, it will secure the MortiThingy - the blue light will change to flashing red. Now the 'Control' button will no longer work and your sytem is fully locked down!

Try opening the safe - it will accept your combination but the door won't open (that is, the handle you turn to open the door won't turn. If you're just testing and have the door open anyway then you can see that if the door were shut you wouldn't be able to open it because the handle won't turn).

Click 'Update time' and it will show you how long is left. With the code above, you're allowed to see how long is left, however the dom could have created the lock code with a setting that hides the remaining time, so you wouldn't then be able to tell how long was left.

That code will time out after 1 minute and the light will turn back to blue. When the MortiThiny goes from secured to unsecured state, it effectively 'pushes' the control button. This means that at the end of the time the 'uncontrolled' buzzer will sound and the safe will become unlockable.

Since the 'uncontrol' signal is a radio signal, there's always a possibility it might not get through. Not to worry, as long as the MortiThiny blue light is on, you can always push the 'control' button to control or uncontrol the safe, if you need to as a backup.

Once you unlock it you can push the 'control' button which will secure the safe and stop the buzzer. You can do that even with the door open, it just means that when the door is next closed it won't be openable again (more specifically, the handle won't be turnable).

Once the minute passes, put the same code in again (you can reuse them) and click to secure the safe. Then when it's secured, put in this unlock code:

Udb786dbcdb62

Once the second code is accepted, this will unsecure the MortiThingy and you can unlock the safe.

The lock and unlock codes are related - only the unlock code generated with the lock code will unlock a system locked with the lock code. If you try to use an unlock code which wasn't generated at the same time as the lock code, it will be rejected. You can experiment with generating your own code by running the application "MortiSafe_Dom.exe".

For self-bondage

Run the application "MortiSafe_Self.exe". This will request you to enter either a fixed time duration or a 'from' and 'to' duration and let the system choose a random time between them.

If your safe is ready (MortiThingy showing a blue light and the 'uncontrolled' buzzer is not sounding) then choose 'Lock for a random duration' and enter '1' in the 'from minutes' and '2' in the 'to minutes' boxes. Click 'Secure the safe'.

The safe will now be secured for between 1 and 2 minutes, and there's no way for you to know how long and no unlock code available to you to open the safe before the time is up.

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For more information, mail me at <info@mortisafe.com>