Oops...

[slateraptor]

Evidently, I've been testing my prototype this entire time with the main power header unsoldered to the board.

[Mint.]

You're not the only one, only a few days ago I wasted about 1-2 hours trying to troubleshoot my project just to find that I forgot to add all the connections to the power!

[slateraptor]

The header pins were actually making solid contact with the board, so it didn't cause me any issues; they're 2.5A rated and slightly oversized compared to the standard. Didn't realize that I had forgotten to solder the power header in until I disassembled the enclosure to finish a bodge fix...and it wasn't until reassembling that I noticed the male header was lodged in its socket.

[steve_w]

Ive done similar,

your not a fair dinkum techo until you screw a few things up.  It's called experience.

I'll bet most of the experienced people here have a horror story or two, at least you were honest enough to share yours. 

Keep gaining experience :-)

[slateraptor]

Sadly, my mistakes don't end there:

1) Accidentally wired a virtual ground net to system ground (had a lot to do with my inner voice constantly repeating "tip to left, ring to right, sleeve to ground"), and
2) botched the pin mapping of three identical SOT-23 transistors.

All hardware screw ups are corrected now. It's a bit of a disappointment to work on this project alone, without a partner to bounce around ideas and proof-check each others' work. There's another group of 2 that will be presenting their project this coming Thursday. I think everyone is in agreement (myself included) that their combined efforts will justifiably earn them the 1st place prize money this semester...and I'm willing to bet that their project will pop up on hack-a-day sometime shortly thereafter.