Changing Codes on Mechanical Digital Locks

Three brands, three completely different code change systems — from thirty seconds on the door to half an hour on the bench.

Every mechanical digital lock can have its code changed. What varies enormously is how. On some locks it is a thirty-second job done with the lock still on the door. On others it means taking the lock off, opening the back, and repositioning tiny coloured tumblers with tweezers — a genuinely fiddly bench job that catches out plenty of capable people on the first attempt.

This guide walks through the code change procedure for each of the three brands we sell and install most: Borg (both the Easicode Pro system and the standard coding chamber), the Lockwood DX range, and the Carbine CDL7100 and CDL7200 — with the manufacturers’ own instruction sheets and demonstration videos for every method. It is the full-length companion to the brand-by-brand code change summary in our mechanical digital lock explainer.

This guide covers:

• The three rules that apply to every brand before you touch anything
• Borg Easicode Pro — the on-door change, step by step, with the video for each series
• The bench method shared by standard Borg chambers and every Lockwood DX — honestly described, with the traps
• The Carbine slider system, and why the first attempt is the only slow one
• Realistic times for each method, from our own workshop experience
• The change keys, tweezers and spare tumblers we keep in stock

If you are still choosing between brands rather than recoding a lock you already own, start with how the three brands compare on code changing and come back.

The Simple Answer

Four systems, four levels of effort. If you only read one section of this page, make it this one.

Borg Easicode Pro (ECP): changed on the door, keypad side, in about thirty seconds. You need the current code and the supplied change key. Nothing comes apart and nothing can fall out. This is the system to buy if codes will change often.

Carbine CDL7100 and CDL7200: the keypad body comes off the door, the back cover comes off the pad, and the code is set on slider switches — a red indicator shows which buttons are in the code. No loose parts, no tweezers. The first attempt takes care while you learn what the sliders mean; every change after that is quick.

Borg standard (non-ECP): the lock or keypad comes off, the backplate comes off, and a chamber of small colour-tipped tumblers is repositioned with tweezers. It works reliably — but it is fiddly, the parts are easy to drop, and it is a bench job, not a doorstep job.

Lockwood DX: the same bench method as the standard Borg chamber — lock off the door, backplate off, red and blue tumblers repositioned with tweezers. There is no quick alternative on any DX model. Reliable, repeatable, and never fast.

The honest pattern: two brands share the traditional bench method, Borg solved it on the door with Easicode Pro, and Carbine solved it with sliders. Which trade-off suits you depends entirely on how often the code will change — and for many owners the answer is almost never, which makes the fiddly method a one-off cost rather than an ongoing one.

Three Rules Before You Start

These apply to every brand and every method on this page, and each one exists because we have seen it ignored.

Rule 1 — know the current code

The Borg Easicode Pro change cannot begin without entering the existing code, and on every brand you should verify the lock still opens on the old code before you change anything. If the current code is unknown, there is no keypad shortcut on any of these locks — skip ahead to the locksmith section near the end of this page.

Rule 2 — door or gate open, and it stays open

Every code change happens with the door or gate propped open. For the on-door Borg ECP method that is the whole precaution. For the bench methods, the lock is off the door anyway — but the door stays open until the recoded lock is refitted and proven.

Rule 3 — test the new code before the door ever closes on it

Borg’s own instructions call for the new code to be checked five times, confirming the latch actually withdraws each time, before the door is closed. Carbine’s installation sheet puts the same warning in capital letters: check that the code works prior to closing the door to avoid the chance of a lockout. We apply that discipline to all three brands. A mechanical digital lock has no app, no reset sequence and no override code — if the recode went wrong and the door shuts, you are locked out until the lock is opened another way.

Two quirks worth knowing before you choose a new code: on all of these locks the digits are entered in any order, each button can only be used once, and the C button can never be part of the code — so 1234 and 4321 are the same code. And on several of them, entry starts with a press of C to clear the mechanism: Carbine and the Borg 5000 series require it, Lockwood documents it, and it is a good habit on every brand because it wipes anything a previous person left half-entered. The full explanation of any-order codes, including what it means for how many real combinations exist, is in how the codes actually work.

Borg Easicode Pro: The On-Door Change

The standard ECP procedure

This is the procedure for the 2000-series ECP models, and the same keypad sequence applies across most of the ECP range. Door open, change key in hand:

1. Enter the existing code on the keypad, without turning the handle.
2. Insert the change key into the small hole in the * button, press it fully in, and hold it in until step 5.
3. Press C to clear the existing code.
4. Enter the new code.
5. Release the change key from the * button.
6. Press C to set the new code.

Then apply Rule 3: test the new code five times with the door open, confirming the latch withdraws each time, before the door closes on it. The video below shows the whole 2000-series change in real time.

Made a mistake mid-change? While the change key is still held in, pressing C cancels whatever has been keyed so far and you simply start the new code again. The system is forgiving — the one thing it will not forgive is forcing the key, covered below.

The 3000 and 5000 series in action

The same on-door principle carries across the ECP versions of the 3000-series gate locks and the 5000-series lever sets, with small differences in where the change key sits and how the keypad responds. Rather than describe each variation, here is each series demonstrated:

The 7000 series works differently

The heavy duty Borg 7000 series — the BL7701 is the model we stock — carries Easicode but does it from the inside handle rather than through the * button. After the current code is entered on the keypad, a code change cam on the inside handle is turned with the change key from its 9 o’clock position to 12 o’clock, and the recode is performed from there. If you own a 7000-series lock and are hunting for a hole in the * button, that is why you cannot find one — follow the instructions supplied with the lock, which describe the cam positions with diagrams.

Never force the change key

This is the single most useful troubleshooting fact for Easicode Pro. If the change key or cam will not turn easily, it is not stuck — it means the code entered was wrong. Enter the correct current code and it turns freely.

The spindle is designed to sacrifice itself: Borg builds the code change spindle to twist and fail before force can damage the coding chamber. Force the key against a wrong code and you protect the lock — but you lose the ability to change the code until the spindle is replaced. If it resists, stop, re-enter the current code, and try again gently.

The Bench Method: What Standard Borg and Lockwood DX Share

Strip away the badges and the standard Borg coding chamber and the Lockwood DX chamber are the same idea, changed the same way. Every keypad button has a small tumbler behind it: red-tipped tumblers sit behind the buttons that are in the code, blue-tipped tumblers sit behind the buttons that are not, and one uncoloured tumbler belongs to the C button and never moves. Rearranging which positions hold red tumblers is what changes the code — the same principle our pillar guide describes inside the coding chamber.

Whichever brand is on the bench, the shared shape of the job is:

1. The lock or keypad comes off and goes to a flat, well-lit bench. Work over a tray or a towel — you will thank yourself later.
2. The backplate comes off the rear of the keypad. Keep the keypad flat and horizontal from this point on: the plate carries a number of springs, and the tumblers behind it are only held in place by gravity.
3. The C button is pressed and held for the entire recode. With C held, tumblers lift out freely with the supplied tweezers.
4. Red tumblers go into the positions matching the new code, blue tumblers into every remaining position. Every hole must hold a tumbler for the lock to function — there are no empty positions. The uncoloured C tumbler is never removed.
5. Orientation is checked on every tumbler before C is released: coloured end up, and the large square cut-out facing the outside of the lock body. Seated correctly, the dimple on each tumbler sits in the cut-out on the chamber.
6. The backplate goes back on, and the new code is tested on the bench — before the lock goes anywhere near the door. Then the five-test rule at the door.

The video below walks through a bench code change from start to finish — the keypad shown is one example, but the procedure it demonstrates is the shared shape of the job on any of these chambers.

Where the bench job goes wrong

Three traps account for nearly every failed attempt we hear about, on both brands:

• Turning the keypad over. Flip it while the backplate is off and every colour-tipped tumbler falls out at once. Now you are not changing a code, you are reconstructing one from a pile of parts on the floor.
• Letting go of the C button mid-change. The C button must stay pressed the whole time tumblers are out or being moved. Release it early and tumblers shift out of register — and on some chambers it can damage internal components.
• Reinserting a tumbler the wrong way around. Coded and non-coded tumblers are different shapes, and both the colour-up and cut-out-outwards rules matter. A tumbler seated backwards or upside down means a code that does not work — and a lock that is forced in that state can break internally. That is exactly why the bench test in step 6 happens before the lock is refitted.

Borg Standard Chambers: What Differs by Series

Borg models without ECP in the name use the bench method above — but getting to the chamber, and a few habits once you are in it, differ by series. Borg’s own instruction sheets are linked for each.

• 2000 series — the whole lock comes off the door, then the red retaining screws release the cover plate over the chamber. The chamber holds four to five red coded tumblers with the rest blue. The full sheet: Borg 2000 series code change instructions (PDF).
• 3000 series gate locks (the BL3100/BL3400 family) — the keypads detach from the main gate lock body rather than the whole lock coming off the gate: the fixing screws sit at the top and bottom of the inside keypad and come out with the hexagonal key provided, then two or four red retaining screws release the cover. The sheet: Borg 3100/3400 code change instructions (PDF).
• 5000 series — four red screws, and a covering panel with twelve springs attached, so the keep-it-flat rule matters most here. Borg’s warnings also escalate on this series: releasing the C button mid-change or forcing a wrongly seated tumbler can break internal components, not just produce a dud code. And note the entry habit — on the 5000 series the code must always start with a press of C. The full document, which also covers installation: Borg 5001 instructions including code changing (PDF).

Code length is more flexible than most owners realise: the spare tumblers supplied with the lock let a Borg code be shortened to three or four digits, or lengthened to six or seven. Longer is not automatically better — but a code length nobody expects is a quiet advantage.

The chamber does more than hold the code: on the Borg 5000 series, free passage is driven by a dedicated F tumbler in the chamber — enter the code, press F before turning the lever, and the handle turns freely without a code until C then F resets it. If the function is not wanted, Borg documents removing the F tumbler entirely through the same four red screws. See our guide to what passage mode does if you are not sure whether yours uses it.

Lockwood DX: The Details That Differ

The DX-specific details on top of the shared procedure:

• Access: separate the outside keypad section, remove the adaptor plate from its back where one is fitted, then remove the four red screws holding the backplate. Lockwood’s instruction is blunt and correct — keep the lock horizontal while changing the code.
• The code alphabet is wider than the digits: a DX code can use any combination of 0 to 9 plus the X, Y and Z buttons, each used once, C excluded as always.
• One red per digit: a four-digit code takes exactly four red tumblers, drawing on the spare wallet when the count changes. Lockwood’s sheet repeats the rule that matters most: every hole must have a tumbler for the lock to function.

Both Lockwood documents are worth saving with the lock: the one-page Lockwood DX setting-a-new-code procedure (PDF) for the recode itself, and the full Lockwood DX digital service manual (PDF) for everything around it.

Lockwood positions the DX range for commercial areas where combinations change frequently, and that is fair in one specific sense: the DX chamber tolerates repeated recoding for decades, the tumblers are non-reversible by design, and there is nothing electronic to wear out. What it is not is fast. A site that genuinely changes codes weekly will feel every one of those bench sessions — which is exactly the trade-off our 530DX brand comparison weighs against the Borg ECP approach. Keep the code changing kit somewhere you will find it in five years’ time; the wallet of spare tumblers is the part that goes missing.

Carbine CDL7100 and CDL7200: Slider Switches

The procedure:

1. Get to the rear of the pad. On a new lock, set the code before installation — Carbine’s own instructions say the code should be changed and tested before fitting. On an installed lock, the keypad body comes off the door or gate first, then the back cover comes off the pad — the lock body itself stays closed.
2. Set each button’s slider. Depress the code select button and slide it one way or the other: when the red indicator shows, that button is part of the code; slid the other way, it is not.
3. Keep the code to a sensible length. Carbine recommends four to five digits for security.
4. Refit the cover and the pad, then test — remembering that on a Carbine, the C button must always be pressed first to clear the mechanism, then the code digits in any order. Carbine’s own example makes the any-order point neatly: a lock coded to C plus W, 1, 9, 8 and 2 opens on CW1982 or C1289W alike.

The full manufacturer document — installation, template and the code change panel with its slider diagram — is the Carbine CDL7100-KDSC lockset instructions (PDF), and the video below shows the sliders being set:

Change the factory default before the lock goes on: every CDL7 ships coded to C13579. That default is printed in every manual and every listing on the internet, so it secures nothing. Set your own code on the bench as part of the installation, not as a job for later.

The reason we describe the Carbine method as a careful first attempt rather than an instant one: the slider layout takes a few minutes to read the first time — which switch is which button, which direction means in, what the red dot is telling you. Once that clicks, a Carbine code change is genuinely quick, and unlike the tumbler chambers there is no way to spill the code onto the workshop floor. The full model range and where each fits is covered in the Carbine CEL and CDL range guide.

How Long Does a Code Change Really Take?

Manufacturer marketing quotes best-case numbers. These are ours, from the workshop and from decades of talking customers through it on the phone.

Two honest observations that put those numbers in perspective. First, most owners rarely change the code at all — plenty never do — so a thirty-minute first attempt on a lock that will keep the same code for five years is not a real cost. Second, we are rarely called out to rescue a code change: given the instructions and a clear bench, most people get there on their own. The times above are not a warning off — they are so you can pick the right afternoon for it.

Change Keys, Tweezers and Spare Tumblers

Every one of these locks ships with what its code change needs — the ECP change key, the DX kit with tweezers and a wallet of spare tumblers, the Borg spares in the accessory pack, the Carbine instructions. The kit is also the first thing to disappear in the years between code changes, so we stock the service parts separately — part of the spare parts support behind the range.

Lost the Easicode Pro change key?

Dropped or lost tumblers

Changing to a longer code needs more red tumblers than the lock currently holds, and tumblers lost to the workshop floor need replacing before the chamber can be closed up — remember, every hole must hold a tumbler. The spares supplied in the box cover the usual length changes; beyond those, we stock the parts. For Borg chambers, the S213 coded red tumbler suits the 2000, 3000 and 4000 series, with the matching S214 non-coded tumbler stocked alongside it, and 5000-series tumblers available for that chamber. For Lockwood, the DX red tumblers in a box of five cover the coded positions, with the blue non-coded boxes also stocked — these are the RED and BLUE keypad tumblers Lockwood’s own procedure sheet lists as the replacement parts.

Workshop habit worth stealing: when the recode is done, tape the change key or the tumbler wallet inside the meter box, or zip-tie it in a bag to the inside of the gate frame near the lock. The kit is worthless to an intruder without the current code — and priceless to you in five years when the cleaner changes and the code has to change with them.

When to Call a Locksmith

Most code changes do not need one — and we say that as a business that employs them. But four situations are worth handing over:

• The current code is unknown. Every keypad method on this page requires it. A locksmith can open the lock from the secure side, decode the chamber on the bench and set a fresh code — a routine job for us, and far cheaper than a new lock.
• The chamber is in pieces. If the keypad got flipped and the tumblers are in a jar, bring the lot in. Rebuilding a chamber from loose tumblers is exactly the kind of job that is quick with practice and maddening without it.
• The change spindle has been forced. An ECP lock whose change key was forced against a wrong code needs its sacrificial spindle replaced before the code can be changed again.
• The lock is high, awkward or on a fire door. Anything on a fire-rated door should be touched with the certification in mind — our fire door certification guide explains why.

Stuck halfway? Phone us before anything gets forced. A two-minute call sorting out which way a tumbler faces, or why a change key will not turn, is a much better outcome than a broken spindle — and it is the sort of call we take every week. Independent brand background on all three makers is in Chapter 10 of the Buyer’s Guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change the code without knowing the current one?

Not from the keypad, on any of these brands. The Easicode Pro change starts by entering the current code, and the bench and slider methods require removing the lock or keypad from the door — which you can normally only do from the secure side. If the code is genuinely lost, a locksmith can decode and recode the lock on the bench.

Do I have to take the lock off the door to change the code?

On a Borg Easicode Pro model, no — the change happens on the door. On a Carbine CDL7100 or CDL7200, the keypad pad comes off the door but the lock body stays closed. On a standard Borg chamber or any Lockwood DX, yes — the lock comes off and the code is changed on a bench. The one partial exception is the Borg 3000-series gate locks, where the keypads detach from the gate lock body rather than the whole lock coming off the gate.

Does the order of the digits matter?

No. On all three brands the code is a set of buttons, not a sequence — the digits can be entered in any order, each button can only be used once, and the C button can never be part of the code. On Carbine and the Borg 5000 series, entry must start with a press of C to clear the mechanism, and doing so is good practice on every brand.

How many digits can the code be?

It varies by brand. A Borg chamber code can run from three digits up to seven using the spare tumblers supplied. A Lockwood DX takes a four, five or six digit code, drawn from 0 to 9 plus X, Y and Z. Carbine recommends four to five digits on the CDL7 sliders. On every brand, each button can only appear once.

How often should the code be changed?

Honestly: most owners rarely change it, and on a family gate that is usually fine. Change it whenever someone who should no longer have access still knows it — a staff member leaves, the cleaner changes, a rental turns over, or the code has quietly spread further than you intended. On commercial doors, put it on the same calendar as the other periodic security tasks.

What happens if I lose the Easicode Pro change key?

The lock keeps working normally on its existing code — you only lose the ability to change the code until a replacement key arrives. Replacement change keys are series-specific and we stock them; see the spares section above.

Is a code change the same as changing the lock’s handing or functions?

No — recoding only changes which buttons open the lock. Functions like holdback and free passage are separate mechanisms (though on the Borg 5000 series, free passage is driven by a dedicated F tumbler in the same chamber), and handing changes are a different job again.

Related Guides

Stuck Halfway Through a Code Change?

Tell us the model number and where you are up to, and we will talk you through it — or quote the fix if a spindle or tumbler has already come off second best.