THE COIL / ORAC EFFECT:  
EXPERIMENTAL OBSERVATIONS

by Nicholas A. Reiter

INTRODUCTION

During the months of December 1988 and January l989, I conducted a series of 
experiments which yielded results that I believe may add to the existing body of 
physical orgonomy, or at least may confirm and extrapolate upon certain littler 
recognized orgonotic phenomena.

The experiments this report will deal with were a direct offshoot from a search for 
electronic of electro-mechanical OR instrumentation.  As the reader will see, it was by 
sheer chance that I stumbled across the effects described in the following sections.

I cannot over-emphasize the importance of other experimenters duplicating my 
observations.  It must be done.  Yet, because a large part of the observed phenomena 
was dependant upon a singular and rather antique piece of instrumentation, it may be 
difficult to reproduce my procedures and results verbatim.  However, I will try to give as 
much information as possible to the reader so that he/she may be able to improvise 
equipment and follow through with experimentation.

THE INITIAL EXPERIMENT

Leading up to what I consider to be the first of my series of experiments, I had been 
observing the operation of different electronic components inside an ORAC.  After 
observing some interesting charge/discharge phenomena with a capacitor, I thought that 
it might prove worthwhile to try a coil inside the ORAC.  The piece I used was an antenna 
base coil from a marine radio set.  It consisted of 90 turns of bare silvered 18 ga. copper 
wire wound air core on plastic strips.  The windings were spaced.  The coil was about 6 
inches long and about 1.5 inches wide.  The coil was connected via clip leads to an old 
(pre-1940s) but perfectly functional galvanometer.  I then placed the coil inside my ORAC.  
(7"X7"X7" ten layer sheet steel/fiber sheet box).

Upon inserting the coil, I observed a slow, steadily increasing deflection of the 
galvanometer's needle.  After about 20 seconds, the meter reached a maximum reading, 
and remained steady.  Removing the coil from the ORAC caused the needle to drop 
slowly back to zero.  Later calibration of the galvanometer (hereafter referred to as the 
GV) with a millivolt source and a precision resistor revealed that the level of deflection I 
witnessed was equal to about 30 microamperes (uA).  Yet the behavior of the GV 
indicated a rather un-electrical nature of the current.

I then tried positioning the coil in different configurations within the ORAC, whereupon I 
made the following observation:

1.  The strongest meter deflection occurred when the coil was placed upright along an 
inner wall or corner of the ORAC.

2.  Flipping the coil end for end would always cause the polarity of the meter deflection to 
reverse.  This reversal was, however, a slow movement as opposed to a quick reversal 
which one would expect from an electrical current.

3.  The polarity seemed to be due to the position of the coil relative to the ORAC.  A later 
experiment using a slightly shorter coil showed that when the coil is positioned 
horizontally within the ORAC, the current drops to nearly zero.

4.  Positioning the coil immediately outside of the ORAC gave similar, though weaker, 
indications.  As the coil was moved further away from the ORAC, the effect diminished 
further.  The effect was no longer noticeable at distances greater than about 3 inches 
from the ORAC.

At this point, I felt that what I was seeing would have to be divided into 3 different 
components for any effective analysis:

1.  The nature of the current and its coupling or induction into the coil.

2.  The characteristics of the conduction of the current.

3.  The mechanics of the deflection of the D'arsonval movement of the GV.

Focusing on one section of my initial set-up at a time, I conducted a series of 
experiments that included trying various coils, different materials, different meters, etc.  
The following three sections of this report are a compilation of all of my observations.

COIL / ORAC COUPLING

A number of different coils were tried in place of the original one.

1.  Loosely wound helixes of copper wire, with no insulation, and of large diameter, gave 
best results.

2.  The number of turns in a coil did not seem to be as large an influence as other 
factors.  In fact, a single wire loop, or a bare strip of copper worked, though poorly.

3.  The polarity effect noticed in the first experiment was observable only with coils.  
With single loops or metal strips, the polarity seemed almost random.

4.  Coils wound on an iron core gave no indication at all.

5.  Coils wound on plastic or paper gave slight current indications.

6.  Coils with no core or coil form gave best indications.

7.  Wire insulation, in all cases, seemed to interfere with the production of the current.

Different ORACs were tried.

1.  A 2 layer wood/steel box ORAC, a 6 layer plastic/steel wool cylinder ORAC, and a 10 
layer aluminum/fibre sheet cylinder ORAC were used in lieu of the original box ORAC.  All 
gave similar results, though the aluminum/fibre sheet ORAC caused some erratic 
movement of the GV needle.

2.  Flipping ORACs on their sides, or placing them upside down did not seem to make 
any difference.  Current polarity seemed to be totally dependent on the coil position 
relative to the ORAC.

3.  When water in a tin cup was brought near the ORAC, the current reading would drop 
minutely.  Dunking one end of a spare clip lead into the water, and draping the other end 
into the ORAC, would cause the current to drop faster, usually to zero.  I consider this to 
be a key observation.

4.  Number 3 was repeated with a ceramic cup.  The same results followed.  Upon 
removal of the water and the clip lead, the current would very slowly come back up.

5.  Laying hands upon the ORAC would cause the current to increase, though sometimes 
only slightly.

6.  Moving the coil inside the ORAC, in any direction, would cause the current to 
momentarily jump and then settle out at a slightly higher level.

7.  The highest readings attained with any combination were in the vicinity of 60uA.

CONDUCTION OF THE CURRENT

A number of different conductors were tried besides the original clip leads.

1.  Bare single or multi-strand conductors worked best.

2.  Soldered connections gave the same results as slip leads.  However, old clip leads 
with the cadmium plating worn off of the clips gave erratic readings.

3.  All connections had to be clean and tight.

4.  Again, wire insulation seemed to damped the effect.

5.  Crossing wires, even when insulated, would sometimes damped the effect.

6.  Copper, tinned copper, silver, gold, and lead all conducted the current with equal 
results.

7.  Aluminum, steel, and iron wire seemed to block the current entirely.

Standard carbon resistors of different values were put into the circuit.

1.  Resistors put in series would damped the current, though a high ohmage resistor did 
not seem to cut back the current any more than a low valued one.

2.  Resistors put in parallel with the coil or GV would not decrease the measured current, 
but sometimes did reverse the polarity of the current!

THE GALVANOMETER REACTION

Here lies the portion of my experiments which is the most difficult to explain or present.  
Quite simply put, I was unable to read any of the aforementioned current effects on any 
instrument except my antique galvanometer!  As I mentioned earlier in this report, the GV 
was, and is, electrically functional.  Using a calibrated millivolt source and a 1.105K ohm 
resistor, I was able to calibrate the GV, which is unmarked, except for a numerical scale.  
The meter works.

I have not been able to find any other meter, D'arsonval or otherwise which will read the 
currents I observed with the GV.  I have tried over 10 different brands of micro-ampere 
range D'arsonval style meters with no success.  I was also unable to read the currents 
with either a Fluke or a Simpson digital multi-meter.

After discovering this paradox, my next step was to take the cover off of my GV and 
examine its construction.  Not surprisingly, I found the GV to have a simple, un-shunted, 
magnet deflected D'arsonval movement almost identical to any of the other meters I 
tried.  I did find one difference, however.  The coil of the GVs meter movement is wound 
without a frame or support, and apparently is held together by its own shellac coating.  
On all of the other, modern meters I tried, the movement coils are wound on tiny 
aluminum frames!  I believe that it is this aluminum frame which prevents any modern 
meter from reading the currents I observed.

SUMMARY OF OBSERVATIONS

From these experimental observations, I have drawn the following conclusions:

1.  When a helix or loop of copper is placed in or near an ORAC, a current of seemingly 
un-electrical characteristics is generated or induced within said helix or loop.

2.  Upon reaching a given level for a given coil arrangement, the current seems to be a 
steady state flow with only minor, very slow fluctuations.

3.  The current is conducted by soft, diamagnetic metals, and is resisted of blocked by 
para or ferro-magnetic metals.

4.  Organic material, in the form of insulation or carbon resistors, appears to hinder, 
absorb, or damped the current.

5.  The un-electrical current is able to develop a reaction force with a magnetic field, and 
cause a deflection of certain un-shielded D'arsonval meter movements.

6.  The level of current induced or generated within the helix or loop varies with the 
responses of the enclosing ORAC to classical external orgonotic stimuli.

CONCLUSION

It is obvious that the experimenter will have to use some ingenuity in duplicating my 
observations.  The old galvanometer I used has no nameplate or manufacturers data on 
it.  There are probably a number of similar units "out there", though.  One could possibly 
find a responsive GV at an electronics surplus store, or an antique shop.  Another option 
would be to build a coil/magnet arrangement based on a D'arsonval meter movement.  A 
design that I believe might work is shown in figure A.  I have not yet tried it though.

I believe that these observations may give some insight into two areas of orgonomy 
which have apparently been somewhat neglected:

1.  The development of accurate OR instrumentation.

2.  The re-development of the OR driven motor.

It is my hope that those who read this report will be able to duplicate my observations 
and carry out further investigations in this area of orgonomy.

UPDATE ON THE COIL / ORAC EFFECT -- 24 April l990

1.  The device shown in fig. A on the COIL / ORAC EFFECT was tried out in February l989 
and did indeed work, although the deflection was quite small.  Several other variations of 
this device were tired, however none of them have indications of current which were any 
better than the original.

2.  Around March of l989, the Coil / ORAC effect began to diminish, and eventually "went 
dead".  Different ORACs were tried, along with variations in wiring.  Nothing seemed to 
make a difference.

However, around November of l989, I tried out the coil and galvanometer arrangement 
with a newly constructed 20 fold steel and fiber sheet box ORAC.  The Effect was once 
again present, and back to levels of current readings corresponding to those observed 
originally.  The Effect is currently active, and further experimental work with it is 
continuing as time permits.

3.  The main thrust of my experimental work is currently in the area of amplifying the Coil 
/ ORAC Effect to higher, more useful levels.  Sadly, I have had no real success so far.  
More reports will eventually be generated regarding these experiments.

4.  There is no doubt, at least to this experimenter, that the Coil / ORAC Effect is the 
Orgone Motor Effect of Wilhelm Reich.  However, without a means of amplification, which 
would functionally correspond to Reich's "Y" factor, the effect remains a subtle, 
marginally measurable entity.