My favorite way of prototyping whenever I want to check some small details before trusting a draft or simulation and putting a small block onto an expensive multi-layer PCB with anything between 100...1000 other components:

Breadboarding. With copper-clad boards.

Circuit is roughly similar to fig. 6 in LT's AN-104

Source: http://electronics.stackexchange.com/a/15059/930

This was a quick check for a voltage regulator design I needed at work and wanted to try before having a big PCB finished. It looks messy, and this is exactly the big advantage: 30 minutes in your home lab will save days of re-designing your project because you missed one tiny (and obvious?) gotcha.

... Just three tiny examples, but you get the idea. It's quick and (sometimes very) dirty, but you can keep short whatever needs to be kept short and achieve good results very fast. A very good tutorial can be found on p. 28-31 in Jim Williams' App Note 47 on the LTC website.

Of course, this will not work for BGAs and the like, but whenever I need just a tiny hack, this is my favorite way to go.

My favorite way of prototyping whenever I want to check some small details before trusting a draft or simulation and putting a small block onto an expensive multi-layer PCB with anything between 100...1000 other components:

Breadboarding. With copper-clad boards.

Circuit is roughly similar to fig. 6 in LT's AN-104

Source: https://electronics.stackexchange.com/a/15059/930

This was a quick check for a voltage regulator design I needed at work and wanted to try before having a big PCB finished. It looks messy, and this is exactly the big advantage: 30 minutes in your home lab will save days of re-designing your project because you missed one tiny (and obvious?) gotcha.

... Just three tiny examples, but you get the idea. It's quick and (sometimes very) dirty, but you can keep short whatever needs to be kept short and achieve good results very fast. A very good tutorial can be found on p. 28-31 in Jim Williams' App Note 47 on the LTC website.

Of course, this will not work for BGAs and the like, but whenever I need just a tiny hack, this is my favorite way to go.

Breadboarding. With copper-clad boards:

Source: http://electronics.stackexchange.com/a/15059/930

Just two tiny examples, but you get the idea. It's quick and (sometimes very) dirty, but you can keep short whatever needs to be kept short and achieve good results very fast. A very good tutorial can be found on p. 28-31 in Jim Williams' App Note 47 on the LTC website.

Of course, this will not work for BGAs and the like, but whenever I need just a tiny hack, this is my favorite way to go.

My favorite way of prototyping whenever I want to check some small details before trusting a draft or simulation and putting a small block onto an expensive multi-layer PCB with anything between 100...1000 other components:

Breadboarding. With copper-clad boards.

Circuit is roughly similar to fig. 6 in LT's AN-104

Source: http://electronics.stackexchange.com/a/15059/930

This was a quick check for a voltage regulator design I needed at work and wanted to try before having a big PCB finished. It looks messy, and this is exactly the big advantage: 30 minutes in your home lab will save days of re-designing your project because you missed one tiny (and obvious?) gotcha.

... Just three tiny examples, but you get the idea. It's quick and (sometimes very) dirty, but you can keep short whatever needs to be kept short and achieve good results very fast. A very good tutorial can be found on p. 28-31 in Jim Williams' App Note 47 on the LTC website.

Of course, this will not work for BGAs and the like, but whenever I need just a tiny hack, this is my favorite way to go.