By far the most common wired connection to our electronic creations is via a USB serial adapter. Sometimes these are used for programming, and other times for monitored and troubleshooting, or even as part of the application itself.
Normally, you would do both actions on a computer or laptop, but this adapter lets you transfer data from a micro-USB OTG port to a serial connection. The result is a UART connection to your smartphone! At around 40mm in length and 10mm in width, the board is compact enough to reside below your phone or tablet without much trouble.
Even if you’re able to monitor your particular board via Bluetooth or Wifi, this does bypass a layer of complication that could hinder you during troubleshooting. It’s something worth adding to your travel toolkit for anytime you’re away from your workbench.
