A Working Replica “Zoltar Speaks” Fortune Teller

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: This is Zoltan, Who is Clearly Not Zoltar

: Very Early Clay Head Sculpture. I Had Never Tried This Before, and it Shows

Silicone Head Mold With Supporting Plaster Mother Mold

Silicone Hemispheres Screwed to Head Mold Created Finished Eye Sockets

Eye Sockets With Silicone Hemispheres Removed

Unveiling a Newly Cast Urethane Head

Urethane Head Casting Prepped for Adhesion Primer Coat

One of the Ears on the Original Primed Head Pattern

Original Foam Pattern Used to Make Single-Use Intermediate Fiberglass Mold

Rebound 25 Silicone Molds With Plaster Mother Molds

Chin and Lower Lip are Integral Part of the Torso – the Head Tilts to Open the Mouth

MDF Cabinet Material is Stable, Smooth, But Dusty

Cabinet Under Construction With White Gel-Coat Resin Trim Pieces

Detail of Front and Door Trim – The Sharp Inside Corners Required Special Construction Techniques

Table Bottom – Foreground Platform Supports Torso & Allows Coins to Pass

The Counterweighted Tray on the Right Catches the Coin and Triggers a Switch

Note the Perimeter Slots To Allow Coins to Drain Into Base

Coin Drain Slots Surround the Table to Pass Most, But Not All Losing Coins

Sloped Panels Funnel Coins Into Removable Coin Tray

Locking Mechanism on Back Side of Lower Front Panel – Card Ejection Funnel is at the Top

Temporary Wood Ramp Used to Test Coin Launching Trajectories

Removable Front Panel Locked in Place

Lightboxes for Annunciator Panel Backlights

The Table Light Box – The Metal Shield Over the Bulb Prevents a Backlighting Hot Spot

Snap-in Metal Light Bulb Holders

One of Three Separate Light Boxes for Illuminated Panels – These Had to be Added Very Late in the Design

Cabinet Interior Overhead Lighting – Gives Zoltar the Spooky Eye Shadows

Inverted Cove Molding and Custom Scalloped Trim For Cap

There is an Order of Assembly That I Needed to Write Down to Remember. This Thing Is a Puzzle.

Closeup of Trim Details – These Are Best Guesses and Are Probably Quite Different from the Original Prop

Hastily Created Jig For Routing Spiral Trim Patterns. The Wood Blank Rotates as the Jig Slides Along Fence

Each Pass Would Cut the Grooves Deeper. The Router Bit Was Hand-Ground to Profile

Resin Casting Made From Wood Original

The End Cap for the Spiral Was a Total Guess

As Was This Trim Piece

I Received Some Criticism for the Simplistic Pointed Trims. I was Trying to Copy the Original, Even if it Looked a Bit Cheesy

Plaster Test Pieces – Replicated Multiple Times to Make Full Length Pattern For Final Resin Mold

Resin Trim Cast From Pattern Made From Multiple Pieces in Previous Photo

Original Wood Pattern for Hand Wheel Rosettes – Silicone Mold Was Made From This Piece

Rosette Trim Mold Along With the Coin Entry and Card Plate Molds

Left Hand Wheel With Rosette Trim

Fiberglass Dome Mold Made Using Exercise Ball Inflated to Correct Size – Ridges Easily Sanded Off Final Casting

The Cast Dome is Checked for Fit and Appearance

Lower Cabinet Mechanism Fully Assembled

Test Fitting of the Head Rocking Mechanism and The Coin Catching Mouth Insert

Mouth Insert to Collect & Route Coins Without Jamming in Moving Head – This Was a Bit of Work

Tapered Block Inside Head Precisely Aligns Head to Mechanism

Finished Head Removes Easily by Lifting Straight Up

And Watches From a Safe Vantage Point While I Work

Metal Gables Protect Mechanism from Jamming Due to Errant Coins

Head-Rocking Mechanism Mounted to Back of Lower Cabinet. The Gray Covers Block Access to Interior Through Vents

Head-Rocking and Card Release Mechanism

One More View Under the Roof of the Head-Rocking Motor Assembly

Right Side of Fully Assembled Lower Cabinet Mechanism

The Brass Knob Allows the Mouth Opening to Be Varied, Changing the Level of Difficulty

Eyes Started as Vacuum-Formed Polycarbonate Hemispheres Made Using a Steel Ball for a Form

Making Eyes and Spares

Eeek!

I think I Went With Brown Eyes After Seeing This

Card Release Mechanism

Another View of Card Release Mechanism and Card Holder

Brass Cams Identify Head Position at Key Times in Sequence

One Cam Times the Coin Release; the Other Makes Sure that the Head Stops With The Mouth Closed

The Head Motor is Precisely Positioned to Set the Cam-Switch Trip Points

Original Coin Ramp From Film – DVD Screen Capture

Coin Ramp Artwork Used For Exposure of UV-Cure Polymer Pattern Resin

Half of the UV-Cured Resin Coin Ramp Pattern

Half of the Coin Ramp Pattern Bonded to Aluminum Match Plate

Another View

Completed Coin Ramp & Guide Mechanism

Brass-Loaded Urethane Castings – the Font had to be Hand-Drawn

Solid Brass and Brass-Filled Cold-Cast Resin Plate Match Perfectly

Same Here

Rear View of Coin Entry

Coin Entry Mechanism – Serves as Both Switch and Coin Release

Zoltar’s View of Coin Ramp Support and Coin Entry – Lightbox Cover Is Removed

Note the Worm Gear on Left End of Shaft Near Top of Picture

Nylon Worm Gear, Clutch, Torque Rod For Steering Coin Ramp

Ramp Steering Linkage Runs to the Front of the Machine

The Top was Hard to Photograph Because it was Inches From My Shop Ceiling

Right Rear of Cabinet Top – Part of Coin Ramp Resetter

Left Rear of Top – The Holes Provide Ventilation for Lighting Heat

Gear Motor at Right Sweeps Ramp-Steering Torque Rods to Home Position

Fitting Some of the Final Parts

Three Colors of Vinyl Overlaid on Translucent White Acrylic Panel

Closer View of Vinyl Overlays

Translucent Vinyl Cut and Weeded, Ready for Wet Application

Translucent White Acrylic Panels with Yellow and Red Translucent Vinyl Overlays

Paint Finish on the Original Machine From Film – DVD Screen Capture

Sprayed Topcoat Will Produce Random Cracks – Size Depends on Paint Thickness

Brushed Topcoat Cracks in Lines – Thin Coat Produces Small Cracks Shown Here

Thick Sponged-On Topcoat Produces Large Random Pattern

Crackle Medium Used on This Project – White Glue Works Too

Paint Texture – Cracks Are Dominant at Right Angles. See Text

First Coat of Pattern Was Dark to Give a Shadow Appearance. Hand-Cut Stencil Was Shifted Horizontally and the Highlight Gold Sprayed On Top

Finished Shadow Layer on Front Panel

Detail of the Shadowed Panel Decoration

Finished Lower Front Panel

Sides Used the Same Stencil as the Front Except it was Painted With a Center Gap to Account for Center Stiles

This Kludge Was Used for Electromechanical Logic and Software Development

A 1 Minute Timer With a Custom Cam Performs All Time-Sequencing

Stepper Switch from a Bowling Machine, a Timer, the Head-Rocking Motor, and Miscellaneous

A Better View of the Stepper Switch & the Head-Rocking Motor Assembly

Simple Switches on Test Board Used to Simulate Coin-Activated Events

Most of the Electromechanical Play Logic Relays and Stepper Switch are Visible Here

Timer & Power Supply Module has Mixed Low and Line Voltages and is Enclosed for Safety

This is the Optional Sound/Music Module and Microprocessor; The Machine Functions (Quietly) Without It.

Separate Protective Cover Over The MP3 Player Still Allows Access to LCD Panel; Another Cover Hides Everything

Sound/Microprocessor Module – Another Cover Hides Electronics

Typewritten Labels to Emulate Look of Interior Labels of Old Arcade Machines.

LCD Panel is a Dead Giveaway as to Age; USB and Serial Connectors Don’t Help Either. Shown With Main Cover Removed

Heat Sink for Audio Amplifier on Top of Sound Module

Modified MP3 Player Provides Sound Effects; Microprocessor Sends the Correct Trigger Pulses

Fabric Match to Original was Impossible – I Did the Best I could

Becky Made the Lampwork Colored Glass Cabochons for the Necklace

Vintage Brooch is Not Like the Original Decoration but Looks Pretty Nice

Oval Pendant is Different From Original But a Good Fit

This Jig Was Used to Preform the Trim for the Neck of the Costume

Trim was Hand-Laced and Stitched in Place

Custom-Made Wood Resonator Chambers for Chime

Swiveling Moon Detail on Dome-Retaining Nut

I Tried to Use Period-Authentic Wiring Wherever Possible

Cloth Insulated Wiring and Vintage Connectors

110 VAC Wiring is Separated and Fused Independently of Low Voltage Wiring

As with the Lower Cabinet the Line Voltage Wiring on Top was Segregated and Labeled

Enclosed Electronics, Cloth-Insulated Wiring, and Vintage Connectors Enhance the Look

I Used Vintage Parts Wherever Possible – These are Old Rodale Plugs

I Recreated the Card Image In Adobe Illustrator. This Artwork Has Been Borrowed by a Few on the Net.

A Weathered Wiring Diagram is Affixed to the Back Door, Just Like a Real Arcade Machine

Carefully Choreographed Stains and Tears Enhance the Appearance

Fake Inspection Label. Good Luck Finding Any Other Serial Numbers…

Sample Page From the Operator’s Manual

Custom Button Made From Brass and Red Anodized Aluminum

Underside of Table – Light Box, Front Push Button Switch, and Door Latch Levers

Screen Capture – From the Film Big

Experimenting with Internal Lighting – Too Bright

Too Much Lighting and You Can’t See Glowing Eyes

Zoltar Waits in a Dark Room – Internal Illumination Only

View of the Entire Back of the Upper Cabinet with Only the Safety Covers Removed

Shown With Safety Covers In Place on Power Supply & Sound/Microprocessor Modules

Upper Cabinet Ready to Transport – View of Mechanism Under Cap Ass’y

Cabinet Base Section Being Prepared For Transport

Upper Cabinet Ready For Transport

Finished Machine On Display at Kilroys in Minneapolis

A Working Replica “Zoltar Speaks” Fortune Teller

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