Wait, I thought there was supposed to be a completed functional PCB...?

Guess I need to learn how to read... https://hackaday.io/project/7813-the-square-inch-project/log/25982-how-to-enter

So the functional version has to be done by late december!

Yep! You have loads of time :)

Shoot, I was using lack-of-time as my excuse, rather'n admitting to lack of "small" ideas... guess I'll have to get on that.

Noticed that the Nyan board has quite a large "component" dangling off it, what if, say, a component itself is bigger than 1inx1in, and the PCB is connected to only a few of its pins, the remainder being dead-bugged? (Thinking about a bare-486-support board, but the inner-square of the PGA is more than 1in, so, yahknow, 168 deadbugged wires, or maybe the inner-ring of pins is bent inward) ;)

Alright, surely there're more suitable ideas up in this head...

Yay! Components that overhang are expressly allowed. There's no rule against dead-bugging either.

In fact, maybe you could use two boards connected by tons of jumpers, saving you about 40% of deadbugging wires, kind of like this:

Good luck!

Thanks for the ideas @alpha_ninja! Now, how 'bout if I figure out how to split a dual-sided PCB in half to make two single-sided boards? :) J/K. 

But I was so tired when I read your idea of a split-board that I was almost convinced four pieces could cover all 168 pins... Was fighting to figure out the layout, how to cut the board into fourths... And finally did the (simple) math this "morning": 168 pins = 168 0.1in pins, 1in=10*0.1in pins. 1in*1in = 10*10 = 100 pins. Right, gotta be more clever ;)

Thanks for the inspiration/ideas, this contest, and for the flexibility-for-creativity of it!

The splitting thing? That would technically be allowed.