I

n this article
we will study
the Condor
XC-MINI key
machine, its accessories, cut a
few keys and take by
it for a test run.
Robert Sieveking
The Condor is a
remarkable little
machine. It weighs in at a hefty
39.68 lbs. There are a few new innovations and twists to the set-up
and operation of the machine that
I feel you will appreciate. Operation was surprisingly intuitive. This
machine will require a relatively
short learning curve to become
proficient in its operation. Setup, installing and calibrating the
cutter and probe took only a few
minutes.
The new machine requires
that the vises be installed and
learned, which I found interesting. Self-Test, Calibration
and vise learning procedures
are prompted by the onboard
processor. Careful study of the
operators manual is a must. The
machine is relatively quiet, fast
and accurate. The finish and
component quality is excellent.
The Condor XC-MINI Automatic
Key Cutting Machine appears to
be a solid, well thought out solution for duplicating or creating
side-milled and edge-cut automotive keys. Decoding from the original key, on the Condor, and then
cutting a new key will produce
original specification duplicate
Reprinted from THE NATIONAL LOCKSMITH February 2017

keys. Keys made To Code, or from

a known bitting are produced
using the onboard Key Data.
Condor also has a missing bitting
function, which will aid you in
completing the unknown bittings
for a key when you have an incomplete bitting. Key numbers, in
the Key Data, appear to follow the
Silca numbering convention.
The Condor XC-MINI ships
with a three year Conditional
Warranty, and a one year subscription to the InstaCode code
program, thats a huge bonus.
Key Data updates are supplied
through online support. Download the software driver to a PC
and then connect the Condor
using the supplied USB 2.0 cable.
Updates can be easily installed
from the Internet. Additional
Technical Assistance is available
by SKYPE.
Figure 1, shows a front quarter view of the Condor XC-MINI
Automatic Key Cutting Machine.
The Condor is a computer
controlled 3-Axis key milling
machine. It uses a Ball-Screw
Transmission to transmit motion
to the Key Clamps and Cutter/

Probe carriage. It is designed to

cut edge-milled and side-milled
internal and external track keys,
Dimple Keys and Tibbe keys.
The machine is operated by an
internal processor controlled by
a seven inch Capacitive Touch
Touch Screen Display mounted
at the top of the machine. An
Emergency Stop Button controls power to the processor and
milling machine. Right rotation
of the button turns the machine
on. Pressing the button instantly
powers down the machine.
The tinted plastic Safety Shield
protects the operator from flying
key chips. Safety shields are fine,
but Safety Glasses in the shop
are the Rule. Always wear safety
glasses when operating any key
cutting machinery. The Condor
X-C MINI incorporates the welcome addition of Lifting Handles,
at the left and right sides of
the machine. Always lift by the
handles to avoid damage to the
case or Lift-Up Safety Shield.
With the Safety Shield lifted, the
7 Touch Screen Display Control
is fully accessible, as you see in Figure 2. This opens the cutting deck.
Multiple LED lights behind the
cutter fully illuminate the cutting
deck. The Key Clamp is mounted
to the moving Clamp Platform,
and locked in place by the Clamp
Lock. A pull-out chip drawer below
the Clamp Platform provides
an easy way of removing chips
from the machine. A chip brush
is provided to remove chips and
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2mm socket head Probe Lock

Screw. The Cutter is fixed in the
motor spindle by the 2mm socket
head Cutter Lock Screw.
The machine is supplied with
a 2mm Allen Wrench, two 1.0mm
Probes (Detection Tools), one
1.5mm Cutter (01.5x06x40L) and
one 2.5mm Cutter (02.5x06x40L).

dust from the Key Clamp and keep

the area clean. It is essential that
the machine be free of chips and
dust to insure accuracy and proper
operation.
NEVER use compressed air to
clean this machine. Brass dust or
chips can be blown into the area
of the Computer Processor and
Ball Screw Transmissions, which
will damage the machine. Use
the Chip Brush.
In Figure 3, we see the cutter
assembly. The Cutter Motor is
mounted to the Z-Axis transport.
It moves up and down to control
the depth of the cutter into the
key. This is a multi-pole stepping
motor drive, which spins up the
three fluted Carbide milling cutter
at 9,000rpm. To preserve the cutter

3
and insure the best finish of the
milled surface, the cutter produces
the profile cuts in the key using
two passes. The cutter makes a
first pass torough the cut profile,
and then makes a second pass to
complete the cut.
The Probe and Cutter heights
are fixed on the Z-Axis carriage
and move together. The Probe is
fixed in the Probe spindle by the
Reprinted from THE NATIONAL LOCKSMITH February 2017

Figure 4, details the moving

Clamp Platform. The Clamp
Platform moves left and right and
fore and aft (in and out). The XAxis is left and right. The Y-Axis
is fore and aft. The cutter motor
moves in the vertical or Z-Axis to
advance the cutter down (into the
key) and up (away from the key).
The Clamp Platform has a Dovetail Socket which accommodates

the clamp-locking lever to the

right, to lock the clamp base to
the clamp platform.
In Figure 5, we have installed
Key Clamp M1 onto the Clamp
Platform. A colored plastic button identifies the Key Clamps.
Index Lines on the Clamp Lock
and Key Clamp base are aligned,
showing that the clamp is correctly positioned. The Clamp
Locking Lever is moved to the
right to lock the Key Clamp in
position. When the Clamp Locking Lever is unlocked it is loose,
and will rest on the Lever Rest at
the left of the Clamp Platform.
Gauge Lines on the deck of the
Key Clamp indicate the various
positions of the tip of the key to

4
the various adaptor Key Clamps
(Key Vises). The Locating Stop
Pin limits and positions the Key
Clamps as they are installed onto
the Clamp Platform. The Clamp
Lock has a profile foot which
engages the dovetail Base of the
various Key Clamps. The Clamp
Locking Lever is moved to the left
to unlock the Clamp Base and to
the right to lock the Clamp Base to
the Clamp Platform. An Index line
on the Clamp Lock insures that
select Key Clamps are properly
positioned (fully engaged) before
locking them in position.
Thats a lot of description for
a very simple operation. Simply
slide the dovetail of the Key
Clamp into the dovetail socket of
the clamp platform. It will stop as
it contacts the locating stop pin.
Observe that the index on the
clamp lock aligns with the index
on the key clamp base and move

be cut or decoded. This machine

does not use solid tip stops. The
Probe will be moved around the
key blade to detect the top surface, tip, left side (at the tip) and
right side (at the tip). By learning the position of the key blade
every time it is asked to cut a key,
it insures that the bitting will be
applied to the blank in the correct
position. You might think of this as
self-gauging. The machine checks
the location of the key blade
surfaces in all three Axes before
it begins any cutting or decoding
sequence.
In Figure 6, we see the M1
Key Clamp. This clamp is used
for all Outside Milled keys. The
four-track Honda HO01 key (see
Figure 20), would be an example.
Ford side-milled keys would be
an example of a two-track Outside-Milled key.
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The Hold Down Bridge is used

to hold the key down on the Key
Supports. A 2mm socket head
Hold Down Screw in the Hold
Down Bridge, applies pressure
to hold the key blade. The Clamp
Knob is rotated clockwise (right)
to bring the Clamp Jaws together,
further holding the key blade
stationary. The Clamping Jaws also
square the key blade in the fixture.
Laser engraved Gauge Lines on
the fixture will be called out in
the programming, to indicate the
position of the key tip.
The Calibration Post is used
to allow the machine to locate
the fixture (Key Clamp). The
Condor will use the Probe to
touch (Locate) the top (Z-Axis
location), sides (X-Axis location)
and front face (Y-Axis location)
of the Calibration Post. The
locating sequence is repeated
to find the location (define) the
key blade. This is repeated every
time the Condor begins a cutting or decoding operation. You
might think of this as the check
sequence. It is absolutely necessary to insure accuracy of the cut
or decoded keys. In machinist
language, this is called edge
finding. For an NC (Numerically
Controlled) mill, it only takes a
few seconds.
Figure 7, details the M1 Key
Clamp fixture. The Front View
shows a clear view of the Dovetail
Base, common to all of the Key
Clamp fixtures used on the Condor
XC-MINI. The Top View shows the
locations of the Calibration Post,
Gauge Lines and Key Support.
The 2mm socket head Hold Down
Screw is shown in the Hold Down
Bridge. In the Side View we see the
two Clamp Jaws. As the Locking
Knob is rotated right, these jaws
Reprinted from THE NATIONAL LOCKSMITH February 2017

8
move together to clamp the key
blade. Both jaws move to center
the key blade in the fixture. The
rear Key Support and locating
Index are seen at the center of the
fixture.
In Figure 8, the M2 Key Clamp
has been installed on the Clamp
Platform. The M2 Key Clamp
is used for all Channel-Milled
track keys. Toyota Lexus fourtrack inside-milled keys would be
an example. Audi, BMW (late),
GM and VW side-milled keys are
examples of Channel-Milled track
keys.
There is no Index on this Key
Clamp. Slide the fixture into the
dovetail socket against the stop
pin to locate it. Move the Clamp
Locking Lever to the right to
lock the fixture in place. The
Clamping Knob is rotated clockwise (right) to close the jaws
and clamp the key blade. The
key is seated in the Key Well for
clamping. The Calibration Post is
used by the Condor to define and
locate the fixture.
The Condor uses a 4-Way Vise
to accommodate a variety of key
blades. This photo shows Vise
Jaw A in position. Vise Jaw
designators are laser engraved
on each of the four jaws.
To index the vise jaw, rotate it
as you see in Figure 9. The Clamp
Base will disengage and re-engage
when the next vise jaw is in position. There are four unique vise
jaw configurations lettered: A, B, C
and D. The correct vise jaw for the
key being made will be called out
in the display by the Key Data program. The Condor will detect the
position of the Calibration Post, on

9
the Key Vise. This insures that the
correct Key Vise is being used for
the key being cut. This is another
self-check by the machine.
Figure 10, details the M2
Clamp for Channel or Track
keys. The Front View clearly
shows the Dovetail Base. The
Top View shows the position of
the Calibration Post. (Note that
it is even with the rear edge of
the fixture.) Lines on the Clamp
Jaws indicate the desired position of the key tip, as indicated
in the set-up procedures of the
Key Data step-by-step tutorial.
In the Side View we see the B
Jaw (out of position). Note the
position of the Calibration Post. It
is about an eighth of an inch back
from the edge of the jaw.
In Figure 11, we see the Identification Label. This is a Model:
Master Series XC-Mini. Manufactured for: Xhorse Electronics Co.,
Limited, by: Ningbo Yongyuan
CNC Machine Company, Limited. The Patent Number and
country of origin is also listed on
this label.
Figure 12, shows a rear view
of the Condor machine. There is
an SD Slot for a memory card and
a USB Connection. The USB 2.0
connection is used to connect the
Condor to a PC Computer for upTo subscribe go to www.TheNationalLocksmith.com

10

13

11
dates and diagnostic services. The
Power Label Defines the required
input power and power supply
output voltages. The Fused Power
Socket accommodates a removable power cord.
In Figure 13, we see the Power
Supply information. This unit
uses a Model: CP-2 power supply.
Input power of 90 to 264VAC,
and from 47 to 63HZ is required.
North American Power is nominally 120VAC at 60HZ, which is
well within the required input
voltage and frequency parameters. The Power Supply produces
24VDC for the CNC processor
and electro-mechanical key cutter. It appears that the Condor
operates on a total of less than
200W of power.
In Figure 14, we see the Power
Socket and removable Fuse
Carrier. The Power Socket accommodates a removable power
cord. The Fuse Carrier fits into
the Fuse Socket at the left of the
cord socket. Pull the Fuse Carrier to replace the line fuse. The
installed fuse was a F15AL250V
mini fuse.
Figure 15, shows the seveninch Capacitive Touch Screen
and Operation Buttons. There
are eight Operation Buttons, four
on each side of the screen. These
are used to select the operations
to be performed by the processor. This is the Welcome or home
screen. Available functions are:
Self Test, Cutting Setting, System
Setting, History, Key Database,
Key Duplication, Cut by Bitting
and Find Bitting.
This screen also shows the Date
and time, Serial Number of the
Reprinted from THE NATIONAL LOCKSMITH February 2017

12

machine and the Software Version. The serial number is shown:

KM03239062. The Software Version is: 3.0.1. The date and time is
shown: 2016-12-21 07:02:01
In Figure 16, the screen shows
the self-test parameters. These
are offsets for the X, Y and Z
Axes, which were discovered
in the self-test procedure. They
refer to Clamp Jaws M1, M2A,
M2B and etc. From here, we can
advance to setting the Height
Level of the cutter and probe if
we change a cutter. Clamp Calibration is also accessed from this
menu. Simply touch one of the
Operation Buttons at the edge of
the screen to advance to the next
screen. The button at the top left
side of this screen will return us
to the main menu.
In Figure 17, we see the cutter
height adjustment screen. This
adjustment must be made any
time a cutter or probe is changed.
Verbiage below the illustrations
fully explains the step-by-step
procedure of what you are to do
to complete this procedure. Press
the Continue button, to advance
to the next screen. Each screen
has step-by-step instructions for
actions and checks that should
be made.

14

In Figure 18, we see the Key

Clamp Calibration initial screen.
Touch the button beside the desired Key Clamp to advance to the
calibration screen. When all checks
have been successfully completed,
the last screen will indicate Success.
In the screen, shown in Figure
19, we are being instructed to
insert a Honda Hon66 blank into
Key Clamp M1 (Single/Double
Sided Clamp). We are shown
the position of the tip of the key.
The key tip aligns with the first
Gauge Line as you see in the
Detail inset. In the instruction,
we are reminded, Before using
this function, please confirm that
Height Level Adjustment of
Cutter is completed. Press the
Continue Button, to advance to
the next screen and initiate the
test.
In Figure 20, we see two cutkeys. The Test Key is the result
of the cutter calibration test.
The machine has cut a small bit
from the Left side, Right side and
Tip of the HO01 service key. The
Condor located the tip of the key,
and then cut a test cut on each
surface. The machine continued
to use the probe to gauge each
of the completed cuts. By this, it
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15

16

18

19

17

20
was able to define the necessary
offsets in memory, to produce a
perfect key to code or by the bitting. An enlarged detail of the key
tip is shown to see the small test
cuts made in the cutter calibration
procedure.
A key was made to the code:
K325 (Master). This key is
shown in the photo. The bitting
is: 1 4 3 3 5 1 2 5 1 1 3 1. The
key was de-burred and reversed
in the vise to cut the opposite
side. Measurements made,
showed this to be an accurate
rendition of this code. Surface
finish of the key-cuts was very
good. The Web dimension was
within tolerance.

Reprinted from THE NATIONAL LOCKSMITH February 2017

All in all, the machine performed quite well and would make
a great addition to any locksmith
business. I believe in the long run
this will be a very accurate and
dependable machine. It did everything we asked it to do without a
problem and performed flawlessly.
The intuitive interface insures
success, while the self-check functions and on-screen prompts help
to avoid mistakes.

American Key Supply is one of

the major product distributors
of the Condor XC-Mini for North
America. For more information
contact them at:
Phone: Within the US:
1.800.692.1898
Phone: Outside the US:
1.650.360.0804
Web: www.americankeysupply.com

With a MSRP of $3000, the

Condor XC-Mini is packing a
Mike Tyson punch to the competition and should definitely be
on your list of key machines to
check out. I dont think you will
be disappointed.

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Condor XC
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Condor XC Mini
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Remote
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Used for tibbe keys like Jaguar &

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XC MINI

High Security
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Cuts all types of automotive keys
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*purchase of M3 Jaw
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