Cool breakdown, brother! Sorry for commenting on a video that's 4 years old but I just found it. The information is still relevant so what the hey, yo! Thanks for taking the time to show us how they've re-invented the wheel.
Thanks for this great video, you just solved a mystery that happened to me today at my local Kroger store. I was leaving the store and the thing tripped on me just as I was going out the first door. Could not understand why the wheel would not turn anymore and noticed that one rear wheel looked different. I just transferred my groceries into another cart and went to my car vowing to look this up when I got home. I think the store has the wire under the metal threshold but that would not really make sense so now that I know about this device I am going to ask a store manager about these things. Just goes to show you that you really do learn something every day.
My Kroger (Fry’s) just added this at the door to prevent grocery theft. There’s a person near the door that activates the system if they suspect you of stealing. Otherwise it has no effect. I haven’t seen it triggered yet.
8:00 the device does not receive a radio signal, it only needs a magnetic field to activate / deactivate the motor to lock the wheel. The cart wheel is activated when it crosses a wire buried around the parking lot.
Looks like a Gatekeeper Systems CartControl lock. Shame they don't put a generator and rechargeable battery inside it. The thing is so damn hard to push sometimes that most customers wouldn't notice the added resistance of a dynamo anyway.
@@ExtantFrodo2 What´s the difference between replacing a rechargeable battery every 10 years versus a non rechargeable every 10 years? You´d just add the complexity of the generator.
Thanks for sharing this with us. I've always wondered what was inside these things. I don't have these devices at any store I've been to but hope to find one like you did.
What they don't tell you is once they stop working they cost a fortune for the company to come out and fix them. i put in a work order for 18 carts and they want to charge over$1000 to fix them
I remember a different version of a walking wheel kind of resemble the plastic fender. That one would deploy a piece of plastic underneath the wheel basically extending the fender a little bit the plastic would ride on the ground.
coondogtheman1234 The silicone is really soft and easy to remove. I'm pretty sure the battery probably still has a charge, but unfortunately without knowing what kind of data they're sending to the unit I have no way to make it lock/unlock.
The Workbench Maybe take a radio scanner to the nearest store where you found that wheel and see if you can hear anything coming from the yellow line..
The Workbench The signal is a 7800 Hz Link to great info really simple to do www.instructables.com/id/Shopping-Cart-Locker-THE-EASY-WAY-Improved-Range/
Yet the circuit board has a 2.4 GHz RF transceiver IC and antenna on it. Also, in one of the FCC documents for the wheel itself, it talks about a Grant of Equipment Authorization for a remote controlled locking wheel using frequencies of 2401.4 - 2478.6 MHz. Somewhat confusing.
@@stopthebus The patent describes a whole lot of optional features of the wheel, from vlf receivers to uhf transceivers and vibration sensors. Looks like they're aiming for much more than just stopping people from stealing carts. It's been a while since i read the patent, but I think it even meantioned remote locking of the wheel using the aformentioned uhf radio. It's interesting stuff.
@@cl11111 Do you mean it's a 2.4 GHz carrier modulated with an 8 kHz signal? The manual for the systems says the signal output of the main transmitter is "below 9 kHz VLF".
If this lock on the cart is only to not leave the parking lot with it .then why did it lock up just when I was leaving the store.after paying for my grocery at food 4 less. The security gaurd came to unlock the wheel for me. I was no where near the outside parameters.
They don't use magnetism. The control signal is RF. The easiest way to disable this would be to swap out the wheels for ordinary ones. Otherwise, if the wheels are locked the only way to unlock them is to remove each one, take it apart and manually unwind the mechanism then remove the battery so it can't activate again.
That wheel lock, battery maintenance, and the work required to install the trip wire under the asphalt must cost as much as the basic carts cost. You would REALLY have to have a lot of shopping cart thefts to justify an expensive system like this. Is shopping cart theft THAT bad???? Labor shortages in the US are so high right now that it's hard just to find enough store employees to return the carts to the store, much less keep a sophisticated anti-theft system like this in place. A spectrum analyzer could easily figure out what frequency that "guard wire" under the pavement is operating on. A disgruntled employee could really create havoc inside a store, walking around with a transmitter hidden in his pocket, stopping all the in-store customers from doing any more shopping. And the store manager wouldn't have a clue as to what was going on. I wonder how deep under the asphalt the transmission wire is? If it's just an inch or two under the asphalt, an angry customer with a simple chisel and hammer could probably break the wire in a few seconds and disable the whole system. And good luck to the repair guy trying to figure out where exactly out in the parking lot that the wire was cut. Aldi has an interesting idea to reduce shopping cart losses. A cheap mechanism in the cart handle makes you deposit 25 cents to unlock and borrow your cart. Then you get your quarter back when you return the cart. That saves all the labor associated with having employees collect shopping carts from the parking lot, but it obviously wouldn't do anything to stop outright shopping cart theft. The whole customer service experience is going downhill. Now they have self checkouts, and some stores no longer supply free plastic shopping bags. Sad.
Not sure why I'm so interested in this thing but I am. I guess if some homeless can find the correct screw head they can really stick it to the man by just loosening the gears inside the wheel. I'm guessing these devices aren't cheap when stores could have hundreds or more of carts they have to install this onto them plus paying to run wires throughout the parking lot.
Sure as shit it’s confirmed: Power Source - Proprietary Gatekeeper Systems' Battery. Signal Output - Low Frequency - 8kHz, High Frequency - Operates in the 2.4GHz band. Microprocessor - Digital Circuitry, Factory-Programmed and Compliant with International Regulations.
How to they know if you did or didn't pay for an item? I've had two go off on me at the threshold of the doors at Kroger. Home Depot also uses these things. Again at the threshold of the door - just look down and can clearly see where the concrete has been cut to install the trip wire.
My only guess would be from Gatekeeper Systems. I don't think these are sold at retail. Also, this is an old wheel, I don't even know if they make that model anymore.
Pretty sure these were not meant to be serviceable, so they would probably just replace the whole wheel when the battery went dead. Since the motor wouldn't be constantly running, the lithium battery should have lasted for a very long time.
@@ThatElectronicsFool They do replace them on a regular basis with routine servicing. They can test the battery with an instrument. Also, to release the brake if it is activated, they have a handheld device, which is the reason for the two H bridges = forward and reverse. to retrieve a locked cart, the employee simply walks out to the locked wheel cart with the handheld, places it near the wheel and presses a button for three seconds- presto - wheel unlocks.
This is very interesting 🤨. I found about 10 shopping 🛒 carts out in the desert last year. They look like 👍 they are the store’s throwaways. I haven’t visited the location since, but I’ve been wanting to tear down the wheels on each of them. I want to get at the motors, and save all the gearing systems, to cram them in my parts bin, for spare parts. Since my high school 🏫 years, I’ve always wanted to build a robot 🤖 with gears ⚙️, and motors, or a remote control car 🚗, but I’m not sure 🤔 how I’ll go about. I just may save the motors for the armatures, and magnets 🧲 to use in other stuff. Your friend, Jeff.
P.S., that looks like a 22.5 volt battery 🪫 (or something close), that is found in some stores 🏬. They could be user serviceable (by the shopper, or anybody), but this is highly not suggested. This is to be done by the store 🏬, or the shopping 🛒 cart service repair 👩🔧 people only. Like 👍 we don’t pirate 🏴☠️ music 🎶, or CD’s, we don’t work on shopping cart wheel locks 🔒. I’m going to check out those shopping carts on my next days off, if they’re still there, and let ya know about the results then (if they’re still there). Your friend, Jeff.
Cool breakdown, brother! Sorry for commenting on a video that's 4 years old but I just found it. The information is still relevant so what the hey, yo! Thanks for taking the time to show us how they've re-invented the wheel.
Thanks for this great video, you just solved a mystery that happened to me today at my local Kroger store. I was leaving the store and the thing tripped on me just as I was going out the first door. Could not understand why the wheel would not turn anymore and noticed that one rear wheel looked different. I just transferred my groceries into another cart and went to my car vowing to look this up when I got home. I think the store has the wire under the metal threshold but that would not really make sense so now that I know about this device I am going to ask a store manager about these things. Just goes to show you that you really do learn something every day.
A signal is sent to the wheel instructing it to lock when it passes that threshold or leaves the parking lot.
My Kroger (Fry’s) just added this at the door to prevent grocery theft. There’s a person near the door that activates the system if they suspect you of stealing. Otherwise it has no effect. I haven’t seen it triggered yet.
@@timb7711 Jokes on them, if they try that stunt I'll just pick the whole cart up and walk out.
Hey man, thanks for your time! Excellent video.
I've been looking for a video that explains this! Thank you so much
8:00 the device does not receive a radio signal, it only needs a magnetic field to activate / deactivate the motor to lock the wheel. The cart wheel is activated when it crosses a wire buried around the parking lot.
How do u unlock once out of lot
They do not work on a magnetic field, they work on a coded RF signal being transmitted from the loop in the ground.
Great! Now I know how these things work. I never knew that and it really has been something of a mystery for me. so, thanks- I like!
Looks like a Gatekeeper Systems CartControl lock. Shame they don't put a generator and rechargeable battery inside it. The thing is so damn hard to push sometimes that most customers wouldn't notice the added resistance of a dynamo anyway.
Smart
thou shalt Not plunder?
Micah Nightwolf digging some of your new living plans. diy tools?
Seems a obvious upgrade. But if you don't have built in obsolescence how can you keep your cart manufacturing business going?
@@ExtantFrodo2 What´s the difference between replacing a rechargeable battery every 10 years versus a non rechargeable every 10 years? You´d just add the complexity of the generator.
U1 is most likely an accelerometer to detect movement - used to power down the microcontroller when it's stationary.
Do not drill a small hole on the side of the cover and spray some carb. cleaner in it. This may destroy the unit, so never do this!
Thank you. I promise to never ever do this cough
Thanks for sharing this with us. I've always wondered what was inside these things. I don't have these devices at any store I've been to but hope to find one like you did.
What they don't tell you is once they stop working they cost a fortune for the company to come out and fix them. i put in a work order for 18 carts and they want to charge over$1000 to fix them
Nice simple but efficient mechanism.
I did it and worked perfect!!! Thanx the explanation. Now I’m using my cart as a planter.
I remember a different version of a walking wheel kind of resemble the plastic fender. That one would deploy a piece of plastic underneath the wheel basically extending the fender a little bit the plastic would ride on the ground.
Thanks, I always wondered how they worked, now I know!
Like a drum brake essentially
How do they recharge these carts? Or once the battery dies you have to replace the entire wheel? Doesn't sound environmentally friendly
Most modern ones charge as they are pushed
The wheels incorporate a long-life lithium battery which can be replaced when it is dead.
you should try to get that battery out and put 3VDC to the terminals and see if this thing powers up. Is the silicone hard to remove?
coondogtheman1234 The silicone is really soft and easy to remove. I'm pretty sure the battery probably still has a charge, but unfortunately without knowing what kind of data they're sending to the unit I have no way to make it lock/unlock.
The Workbench
Maybe take a radio scanner to the nearest store where you found that wheel and see if you can hear anything coming from the yellow line..
The Workbench The signal is a 7800 Hz Link to great info really simple to do www.instructables.com/id/Shopping-Cart-Locker-THE-EASY-WAY-Improved-Range/
The manual says the frequency used by the transmitter is "below 9kHz".
Yet the circuit board has a 2.4 GHz RF transceiver IC and antenna on it. Also, in one of the FCC documents for the wheel itself, it talks about a Grant of Equipment Authorization for a remote controlled locking wheel using frequencies of 2401.4 - 2478.6 MHz. Somewhat confusing.
@@stopthebus The patent describes a whole lot of optional features of the wheel, from vlf receivers to uhf transceivers and vibration sensors. Looks like they're aiming for much more than just stopping people from stealing carts. It's been a while since i read the patent, but I think it even meantioned remote locking of the wheel using the aformentioned uhf radio. It's interesting stuff.
Wheel - The birth of civilization
Do they have to keep charging that battery?
No, the battery is replaceable.
At least in the US we don’t have to put a coin in to the slot to unlock a grocery cart from the cart pen.
Nope, we have those. 99 cent stores use them
Come on tell us what locking signal they are sending out of the parking lot loop so we can make a handheld transmitter... 👺
8kHz, High Frequency - Operates in the 2.4GHz band.
@@cl11111 now for the unlocking frequency…
@@SeattleRingHunter The signal is coded as well. Likely one code for locking and another to unlock.
@@cl11111 Do you mean it's a 2.4 GHz carrier modulated with an 8 kHz signal? The manual for the systems says the signal output of the main transmitter is "below 9 kHz VLF".
They had one lock up going out the front door and they unlocked it with a magnet.
How? I just picked up a cart and need 2 unlock the wheel
Mine locked exiting the store even though i paid. Total disaster, kroger!
Happened to me today had to search RUclips to find out how it worked
If this lock on the cart is only to not leave the parking lot with it .then why did it lock up just when I was leaving the store.after paying for my grocery at food 4 less. The security gaurd came to unlock the wheel for me. I was no where near the outside parameters.
It locks up for thief or leaving the parking lot but sometimes it malfunctions
Sure he "found it on the side of the road" lol
Thank you!
My girlfriend love it!
She is into science and technology.
I wonder what frequency is used to trigger it
Junkers sounds of men cursing their govenments
There's more on the internal signals on the EEVBlog - ruclips.net/video/-QKcprQD0zc/видео.html
Magnet
8kHz, High Frequency - Operates in the 2.4GHz band.
I have a bunch of carts I bought at an auction What's the easiest way to permanently disable this? Should I cut the battery cables, buy a magnet etc?
They don't use magnetism. The control signal is RF. The easiest way to disable this would be to swap out the wheels for ordinary ones. Otherwise, if the wheels are locked the only way to unlock them is to remove each one, take it apart and manually unwind the mechanism then remove the battery so it can't activate again.
I wonder if you could damage it with an emp jammer? 😄
So you stole a cart to see how to beat the lock?
hi do you know where can I get those wheels
H Miller from a cart?
That wheel lock, battery maintenance, and the work required to install the trip wire under the asphalt must cost as much as the basic carts cost. You would REALLY have to have a lot of shopping cart thefts to justify an expensive system like this. Is shopping cart theft THAT bad???? Labor shortages in the US are so high right now that it's hard just to find enough store employees to return the carts to the store, much less keep a sophisticated anti-theft system like this in place.
A spectrum analyzer could easily figure out what frequency that "guard wire" under the pavement is operating on. A disgruntled employee could really create havoc inside a store, walking around with a transmitter hidden in his pocket, stopping all the in-store customers from doing any more shopping. And the store manager wouldn't have a clue as to what was going on.
I wonder how deep under the asphalt the transmission wire is? If it's just an inch or two under the asphalt, an angry customer with a simple chisel and hammer could probably break the wire in a few seconds and disable the whole system. And good luck to the repair guy trying to figure out where exactly out in the parking lot that the wire was cut.
Aldi has an interesting idea to reduce shopping cart losses. A cheap mechanism in the cart handle makes you deposit 25 cents to unlock and borrow your cart. Then you get your quarter back when you return the cart. That saves all the labor associated with having employees collect shopping carts from the parking lot, but it obviously wouldn't do anything to stop outright shopping cart theft.
The whole customer service experience is going downhill. Now they have self checkouts, and some stores no longer supply free plastic shopping bags. Sad.
Not sure why I'm so interested in this thing but I am. I guess if some homeless can find the correct screw head they can really stick it to the man by just loosening the gears inside the wheel. I'm guessing these devices aren't cheap when stores could have hundreds or more of carts they have to install this onto them plus paying to run wires throughout the parking lot.
A cart was apparently only 100 bucks 6 years ago. So, possibly 150 now. I guess overtime they do make up for the cost.
Sure as shit it’s confirmed:
Power Source - Proprietary Gatekeeper Systems' Battery. Signal Output - Low Frequency - 8kHz, High Frequency - Operates in the 2.4GHz band. Microprocessor - Digital Circuitry, Factory-Programmed and Compliant with International Regulations.
Pretty sophicitated for a wheel
Isn't it supposed to stop someone from wheeling out a cart of groceries without paying?
Susan Thorne no it’s For keeping people from stealing the carts
How to they know if you did or didn't pay for an item? I've had two go off on me at the threshold of the doors at Kroger. Home Depot also uses these things. Again at the threshold of the door - just look down and can clearly see where the concrete has been cut to install the trip wire.
In some cases yes.
Where can I buy this wheel?
My only guess would be from Gatekeeper Systems. I don't think these are sold at retail. Also, this is an old wheel, I don't even know if they make that model anymore.
And I guess when battery it's empty block system will not work, isn't it?'
Pretty sure these were not meant to be serviceable, so they would probably just replace the whole wheel when the battery went dead. Since the motor wouldn't be constantly running, the lithium battery should have lasted for a very long time.
@@ThatElectronicsFool They do replace them on a regular basis with routine servicing. They can test the battery with an instrument. Also, to release the brake if it is activated, they have a handheld device, which is the reason for the two H bridges = forward and reverse. to retrieve a locked cart, the employee simply walks out to the locked wheel cart with the handheld, places it near the wheel and presses a button for three seconds- presto - wheel unlocks.
He stole that wheel o_O
Who makes this wheels
Gatekeeper Systems.
or which company sell them
thank you
Gatekeeper Systems (www.gatekeepersystems.com/) apparently still makes these types of wheels. I think you'd have to contact them about it.
how i can make a remote for unlock
Why?
All plastic. Grocery prices going up to install and repair these things.
This is very interesting 🤨. I found about 10 shopping 🛒 carts out in the desert last year. They look like 👍 they are the store’s throwaways. I haven’t visited the location since, but I’ve been wanting to tear down the wheels on each of them. I want to get at the motors, and save all the gearing systems, to cram them in my parts bin, for spare parts. Since my high school 🏫 years, I’ve always wanted to build a robot 🤖 with gears ⚙️, and motors, or a remote control car 🚗, but I’m not sure 🤔 how I’ll go about. I just may save the motors for the armatures, and magnets 🧲 to use in other stuff. Your friend, Jeff.
so would a big magnet overcome the lock?
No, lol
P.S., that looks like a 22.5 volt battery 🪫 (or something close), that is found in some stores 🏬. They could be user serviceable (by the shopper, or anybody), but this is highly not suggested. This is to be done by the store 🏬, or the shopping 🛒 cart service repair 👩🔧 people only. Like 👍 we don’t pirate 🏴☠️ music 🎶, or CD’s, we don’t work on shopping cart wheel locks 🔒. I’m going to check out those shopping carts on my next days off, if they’re still there, and let ya know about the results then (if they’re still there). Your friend, Jeff.
sucky people have to lock down some carts.
consider it community service to grant a man a cart.
Or consider it protection against thieving assholes.