Digital modes and an old transmitter -- anybody here already do this?

So, at the local club meeting, the guy that runs the tech/education stuff was showing off a QRP Labs QDX. This is a tiny digital transceiver, set up to be run with a computer or raspberry pi/etc., to do digital modes. The way it works is a bit unique: It is an SDR receiver, and a quickly variable DDS generator/amp. There's no modulation -- typically digital modes from a computer are audio that modulates an SSB signal, in effect creating a frequency shift. This box just does it directly, by moving the carrier around instead of modulating it with audio. Thus it is cleaner, simpler, no balanced modulator, no filter, no tuning those.

Anyway, the latest versions of this thing include a PTT output, to key whatever. That makes this unit effectively a 4 watt VFO. With appropriate T/R switching, and that PTT, and a matching network, this can drive a boat anchor CW (or unmodulated AM) rig. The tech guy (KD8THX/Jeff) interfaced it to an Ameco (the new kit), using manual PTT and TR switching, and made an FT8 contact as proof he could.

So, it gets me thinking, this is a cool way to use our old rigs to do modern digital modes, complete with the benefits of SWR-forgiving finals and a little warmth in the room. If you wanted, you could package the QDX, an raspberry pi, a 7" touchscreen, and their power supplies onto half a rack panel, and the other half could be a 30-100+ watt class C amp, to make a standalone hybrid digital transceiver.

So to the subject, anyone already doing this?

Ed