Proof of Concept#

Test the hard parts before committing to a design.

A proof of concept sits between defining what to build and deciding how to architect it. The goal is to answer the riskiest questions — will this sensor work at the required distance, does this topology meet the noise floor, can this link sustain the data rate — before investing weeks in schematic capture and PCB layout. The answers feed directly into architecture decisions.

Proof-of-concept work takes many forms: breadboarding a circuit, wiring up a dev board, running a SPICE simulation, or lashing modules together with jumper cables. What matters isn’t polish — it’s whether the experiment produces a clear answer to a specific question. A messy breadboard that proves a sensor has adequate sensitivity is more valuable than a beautiful schematic based on an untested assumption.

What This Section Covers#

• Breadboarding Strategies — When breadboards are the right tool, how to get reliable results from them, and when their limitations make them misleading.
• Dead-Bug & Manhattan Construction — Higher-fidelity prototyping techniques for circuits where breadboard parasitics lie.
• Dev Boards & Modules as POC Tools — Using evaluation boards, breakout boards, and modules to test components and subsystems before designing custom hardware.
• Simulation as Proof of Concept — Using SPICE, signal chain analysis, and other simulation tools to answer design questions without building anything.
• Structuring Experiments to Get Answers — Defining what is being tested, what success looks like, and how to capture results that inform the next phase.
• Knowing When the POC Is Done — Recognizing when the question has been answered and it’s time to move on to architecture.