So I figure why not do a bolt mod and switch out all of the electrical insides with new ones from a PC/5250.
I probably should have waited for a new terminal keyboard to try out Soarer's Teensy. I ordered the parts before being advised on Geekhack that it would be cheaper and easier than what I am doing.
Now the parts are here, and I need some help. First, the PCB controller has two four pin connections. Only one can be for my USB cable. One is J17. The other is J21. I assume that J17 is the correct plugin since more circuit traces run straight to the big chip in the center of the board. This is a layman's logic. Please correct me if I am wrong.
It also appears that the new interface between the membranes and the controller board occurs when the PCB is bolted to the keyboard shell

The old innards are much nicer. I can see why people stick to the old hardware and build converters.