It work!!!
Put in a new fuse, double-checked the wiring, and tested it. I don't know what was that blew the fuse first time, maybe a bit of solder blob that escaped me? I did blow my TE with compressed air to ensure no metal dust remained.
FWIW my bench power supply was reporting slightly over 400mA draw at 10v DC. That is with the modern 3.5" LCD and no other mod.