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 COIL / ORAC EFFECT device was tried out in February 1989
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 1989, 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 1989, 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.