Electronics Design
This project presents an innovative fusion of ancient architectural mapping with modern technology. In this project, I transformed the floor plan of Medinet Habu—a prominent temple in Egypt—into a printed circuit board (PCB) design. This intersection of archaeology and electronics serves as an artistic and functional exploration of how ancient structures can inspire contemporary energy circuits, connecting the past and present through an unlikely medium.
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The Background
Medinet Habu is an ancient temple complex located in Luxor, Egypt, primarily known for its association with Ramses III and its depiction of significant historical events, including military victories. The temple, completed in the 12th century BCE, is a testament to the grandeur and technological prowess of ancient Egyptian architecture. Though Medinet Habu's primary purpose was religious, temples like it were crucial in organizing the economic and administrative activities of ancient Egypt. Temples stored grain, collected taxes, and managed significant landholdings. In this way, they were central to the ‘energy systems’ of the day—facilitating the economic energy that sustained the Egyptian state. From an architectural perspective, the design of Medinet Habu represents a 'circuit' of social and religious energy, with interconnected spaces serving as different nodes in an ancient network of cultural and ritual flow. This project draws on the metaphor of circuits—both ancient and modern—by converting the Medinet Habu floor plan into an actual electronic circuit, symbolizing the continuity of energy systems across millennia.
I decided to turn the map of Medinet Habu into a printed circuit board (PCB).
The Works
Have you noticed the striking similarities between ancient Egyptian structures and modern circuit boards? This connection raises the question of whether the Egyptians had advanced knowledge of technology and engineering. The Great Pyramid’s layout, with its intricate chambers, seems designed to channel energy like a circuit board directs electrical currents. Hieroglyphs also feature complex patterns resembling circuit pathways. Some researchers even suggest that evidence of copper wiring and electroplating indicates the Egyptians may have harnessed electricity, revealing knowledge far ahead of their time.
Digital Representation of the Temple Plan
Obtain Map: Acquire a high-resolution Medinet Habu temple floor plan and ensure it has clear lines for vectorization.
Prepare Image: Using Illustrator to clean up unnecessary details, keeping only structural lines.
Vectorize Image: Trace the cleaned-up map in a vector tool to convert it into paths. Ensure the lines are crisp and save as a black-and-white PNG.
Import into KiCAD: In KiCAD’s PCB editor, import the PNG, adjusting scale and line thickness to match the temple's outline.
Trace Outline: Use the "Edge Cuts" layer to manually trace the temple’s perimeter and internal structures over the PNG.
Finalize Outline: Delete the PNG and review the traced lines, making necessary adjustments.
Giving the Design Function
The schematic for this project was carefully designed to ensure functionality, aligning with the Medinet Habu layout while introducing key electronic components. The Live Wire Detector with Buzzer and LED Indicators was added to provide visual and auditory alerts when detecting live current, making it a practical element for energy monitoring. The piezo buzzer (LS1) acts as the sound alert, while the LED (LED1) provides visual feedback, ensuring both modes of indication are covered. The Power Input Connector ensures the circuit is powered appropriately, with VCC supplying voltage and GND serving as the common ground. This connector is crucial for delivering consistent power to the entire board. Inspired by the ancient temple’s role as a center for spiritual energy, the board is also intended to collect ambient energy from nearby sources—such as RF signals or electromagnetic fields—mimicking how Medinet Habu was believed to draw divine power. Both the Top and Bottom Indicator LEDs (LED1 to LED10) are arranged to provide a clear, immediate visual representation of the system’s status. These LEDs are connected through resistors (R1 to R10) to limit current flow, preventing overload while ensuring reliable visual feedback.
The Final Product
The final PCB design successfully bridges the worlds of ancient architecture and modern electronics. The traces and components are laid out in a manner that respects the original temple plan, yet the board is fully functional and could serve as an energy monitor or live-wire detector. By using Medinet Habu as inspiration, this project emphasizes the enduring importance of energy systems—whether they are social, economic, or electrical—across different epochs of human civilization.
This project, while deeply rooted in artistic expression, also serves a functional purpose, showing how ancient designs can inspire modern technology. The images included illustrate this journey from an archaeological drawing to a fully realized circuit board, reflecting the timeless connection between human innovation and energy management.