Hmm.. that will make it much easier. I'm not really worrying about size (I can fit the small converter board behind the radio..)
Looking at the 233 now. Looks pretty simple to hookup. Since I don't need any of the fancy stuff, I'm guessing that I'll only need pins:
4, 19: RS232 input from the Empeg
3, 20: TTL output to display.
6, 9: GND
7: +5V.

The PCB board will also have to have the VR (I'll need to refresh my memory on the regulators..) and a connector to take the data lines and the +5 to the VFD, and a RS232 connector to go over to the Empeg...
Ooh, I'm likin' this.

Thanks, Hugo, for finding this. :>
Me.