I also think it is in the spirit of the computer -
using what is available
to fix a problem at hand. I think the arduino was overkill when an attiny
(smaller, easier to hide) would probably serve just as well.
Would you put plastic handles on a piecc of antique furniture? Would you
make the seatboard for an antique longcase clock from MDF?
Both are easily reversable, BTW.
If you have the ttl logic bits lying around and know
how to use them, fine.
Still would probably need debugging.
FWIW I have made programmable dividers on a couple of occasions recently
(one was a 100/120 flash-per-second stroboscope, the other was the transmitter
half of a modem to talk to TDDs). Both of them worked first time. I guess it's just
what I am used to.
-tony