This feels like a great spot for an FPGA. It could have the PCIe on one side, and put 160 UARTs inside it. /dev/tty would go insane but it might work. Doesn't look like the 7 series has the I/O but maybe Spartan US+ when it comes out? It's iffy because of the IO levels. Maybe not, then. Who knows

Soldering SMDs manually is a nightmare, and this guy did it on a grand scale. He even made board corrections with crazy wire connections. He must have really good eyes and very steady hands. Amazing.

bitlunis always a good watch