I finished the SAO at the eleventh hour, the day before getting on a plane. It works! Well, one LED has some challenges, but we're counting this as a win. It's also a great example of why vias are important; driving two shift registers means they share a lot of pins and need a lot of tedious (but delightful, of course) magnet wire work.

At some point I'll post more pictures, maybe installed on the badge. But for now:

The machine made it to LAX without much trouble, and I managed to spot it getting unloaded from my (well, Delta's) 757-200:

I got to Supplyframe HQ around 4 PM and set up on a table with friends, and spent a few hours showing folks how the machine works and making sample boards. And soliciting designs from conference attendees! I brought ~30ish blanks and it would be great to go home with none.