When I build one-off projects I see no benefit in involving the errors and sloppiness of PCB houses with their drug-addled and alcohol-impaired employees. If I need a circuit, I put the components in place on one of my wire-wrap boards, which, incidentally, have nearly ideal Vcc and Gnd connection capabilities ... none of this "strip" stuff that makes for meter-long Vcc and Gnd chains on a 10 cm x 15 cm board.

Even though I'm well into my sixties, and require one pair of glasses so I can look for the "right" pair, I can still place about one wire per second once underway, since I can still remember which pins go where having once looked at the schematic of what I'm fabricating. If there are 50-60 IC's, things slow down a bit, but with a small circuit, I do it from memory. Seldom do I have to do a major rework because I lost my way ... It has happened, but not lately.

A simple 805x application, using PLCC or DIL-40 packaged MCU would fit right away, and, with an adapter of the sort shown earlier in this thread, TQFP fits quite comfortably. I use an 805x and a CPLD in PLCC-84, and whatever external memory or other IC's I require, and the whole wiring task takes an hour or two.

It would take that long to interact with the PCB house just to get the first run started. Then, if I'm happy with the circuit and do have to deliver several copies, a PCB of the approved circuit can be ordered ... but only if necessary, and only if approved.

RE