AMSEC DL4000, DL5000, DL6000 LCD Safe Lock: Code, Battery, Bypass

Safe lock help · AMSEC

Safe lock troubleshooting › AMSEC › DL4000, DL5000 and DL6000 LCD digital lock (EST and other small safes)

Many small AMSEC electronic safes, such as the EST813, EST916, EST1014 and EST2014, have an LCD digital lock: a screen over a keypad with a star (*) and pound (#) key, next to a turn knob. AMSEC calls the locks DL4000, DL5000 and DL6000. The screen turns blue and says Open when you enter a good code. This guide covers how to open it, change the code, set the date and time, replace the four AA batteries, and open the safe with the emergency key or the power override box.

• How to open
• Battery
• Change code
• Messages
• Lockout
• Emergency bypass key
• DL5000 and DL6000: tamper alarm and open door record
• Troubleshooting
• Manuals

Want the whole manual? Jump to the manufacturer download links.

Is this your lock?

• A lock with an LCD screen, a keypad (1 to 9, *, 0, #) and a turn knob. The screen turns blue when you use it and can show the date and time.
• AMSEC’s sheets are the DL4000, DL5000 and DL6000 operating instructions. AMSEC’s product page for the EST813 says it has a DL6000 lock with a large LCD that shows the battery level, the date and the time.
• The DL4000 has one user code. The DL5000 and DL6000 have a personal code and an administrator code (the lock stores 2 codes) and keep an open door record.
• It runs on four AA alkaline batteries in a compartment on the back of the door. There is an emergency key and an external power override box.

How to open it

1. Press # (this wakes the screen).
2. Enter your user code.
3. Press #.
4. The LCD turns blue and shows Open.
5. Turn the knob clockwise (to the right) and open the door. You have 5 seconds to turn the knob.

• Models WES149, ES149 and ES1814 (DL4000 sheet): turn the knob counter-clockwise (left) to open the door.
• A wrong code shows Error. DL4000: three wrong codes in a row sound an alarm for 10 seconds and lock the safe out for 3 minutes. DL5000 and DL6000: three wrong codes sound an alarm for 1 minute unless the right code is entered.
• To hide your code from onlookers, press # and then * before you enter it. The screen then shows only 0 for each key. You must do this each time.
• Use * as a backspace to clear the last entry. Hold * for more than 2 seconds to clear the screen.
• When the door is open and the knob is left in the unlock position, the door stays unlocked until you turn the knob to lock. If you turn the knob to lock with the door open, you must re-enter your code to close the door.

How to change the battery

The lock uses four AA alkaline batteries (we recommend Procell) in a compartment on the back of the door. When the screen says “Lo-BATTE” as you open the safe, the batteries are low and should be replaced (on the DL5000 and DL6000 the battery tab on the screen also shrinks). When the new batteries go in, the screen turns blue and shows GOOD.

1. With the safe open, slide the battery cover on the back of the door to the left and take it off.
2. Put in good-brand alkaline batteries, with the (+) end in each position as shown by the symbol in the base.
3. The LCD turns blue and shows GOOD.

If the batteries are completely dead

1. Put four new AA batteries in the power override box that came with the safe.
2. Plug the box into the power override port on the lock (on the bottom of the keypad; the DL5000 sheet says the bottom, right-hand edge of the LCD; AMSEC’s online EST sheet calls it the external battery plug on the front of the keypad).
3. Open the safe with your code and then put new batteries in the door compartment as above.

• Important: if the batteries stay out more than 10 minutes, the user code goes back to the factory code. Set your own code again after you change the batteries (see Change code).
• Keep the power override box somewhere safe, but not inside the safe.

How to change the code

DL5000 and DL6000

1. Open the safe as above.
2. While the screen is still blue, press *.
3. Enter your new user code (1 to 8 digits).
4. Press #. The screen turns blue and shows INTO.
5. Your new user code is now set.

DL4000

1. Open the safe as above.
2. Press the green set up button (on the back cover or on the hinge side of the back door cover). The screen turns blue.
3. Enter your new user code (1 to 8 digits).
4. Press #. The screen turns blue and shows IN, and briefly shows your new code.
5. The new user code is now set.

Set the date and time (DL5000 and DL6000)

1. You can do this with the door open or closed. Press *, then 0 to go down or 8 to go up.
2. Press # to move to the next field (year, month, day, then time, then the day of the week). You have 6 seconds between entries or it is canceled. If so, press * again and use # to skip to the last field you were on.
3. The DL5000 shows month, day, year. The DL6000 shows year, month, day. The time is in 24-hour (military) time: add 12 to any hour after 1 p.m. The week field is 1 to 7, where 1 is Monday.

• The DL5000 and DL6000 have a personal code and an administrator code. The administrator and personal codes must be entered before any code is created or changed.
• AMSEC’s sheet has a way to restore the factory codes with a red reset button on the back of the door. It erases your codes, so we are not printing it here: call us.

What the screen says

Wrong codes

DL4000: three wrong codes in a row sound an alarm for 10 seconds and lock the safe out for 3 minutes. DL5000 and DL6000: three wrong codes in a row sound an alarm for 1 minute unless the correct code is entered.

Emergency bypass key

If the code and batteries will not open the safe, use the tubular emergency key that came with it.

1. DL4000: gently remove the plastic key cover (between the keypad and the knob or auxiliary key). DL5000 and DL6000: press and turn the Emergency Override cover to the open position. The cover pops out.
2. Put the tubular key in and turn it. The DL4000, DL5000 and DL6000 sheets say clockwise (right); AMSEC’s online EST sheet says counter-clockwise (left). If it will not turn one way, gently try the other way.
3. Turn the knob or handle clockwise (right) and open the door.

• If the keys are lost, the key number is stamped on the key (and on the front of the cylinder on the DL5000). Write it down with your code and keep it somewhere safe.

DL5000 and DL6000: tamper alarm and open door record

Tamper alarm: in sleep mode, press 0. The screen shows BELL ON. To turn it off, enter #, the current code and #. If you do not clear an alarm, it clears itself after 1 minute.

Open door record: enter the personal or administrator code to open the door. When OPEN disappears but the blue light is still on, press 0. The screen shows the date, the time and the code used. You can see the last 14 openings.

If it still won’t open

The screen is dark and nothing happens

The batteries are probably dead. Use the power override box (4 AA) and then change the batteries in the door compartment.

The code stopped working after the batteries were out

If the batteries are out for more than 10 minutes the user code goes back to the factory code. Use the factory code from your paperwork, then set your own code again.

The screen shows Open but the door will not open

You have 5 seconds to turn the knob. If it times out, enter the code again and turn the knob right away. On the WES149, ES149 and ES1814 the knob turns left.

I forgot my code

Please do not keep guessing, because three wrong codes sound an alarm and lock the safe out. Call us.

Download the full manufacturer instructions

More lock guides

• AMSEC ES1013, ES1310 and WES1310 electronic digital lock (two versions)
• AMSEC ESF1214 fingerprint (biometric) safe lock
• AMSEC IRC916E in-room safe (code or magnetic card)
• ← All safe locks

About this guide. This is an independent guide from Steve’s Lock, Safe and Alarm, a safe and lock dealer. Brand and model names belong to their owners and are used only to help you identify your lock. We are not affiliated with the manufacturers. These steps summarize the manufacturers’ own instructions; your lock may be a different version, so if anything here does not match what your lock does, follow your manual or call us. Always change codes with the safe door open, and test the new code several times before you close the door.

Steps last checked against the manufacturer documents on October 19, 2026.