I'm doing a similar "fun" project this weekend (for some definition of fun) - wiring up an rPi to a 1982 ADDS Regent TTY @ 9600bps. The Pi is installed internally with wifi and takes power from the terminal; all the other connections are internal to the terminal. So, plop it down in any room, turn it on, and have a fun conversation piece / something to play nethack on.

There is a critical mass issue with things like this in needing to have several of the microcontroller devices available, so you don't feel bad about "burning" on by actually embedding it in a project.