Many devices connect through a UART for console access or programming. Many embedded devices' UARTs are broken out through a header with 5V (Arduino) or 3.3V (Beaglebone, Raspberry Pi) signaling.

I stood in stunned silence at the smoke billowing up from the hardware on the workbench. Just moments before, it had been operating as expected, before self-destructing with a sound that can only be ...

There are a lot of stupid things you can do with the ports on your computer. The best example is the Etherkiller, an RJ45 plug wired directly to a mains cable. Do not plug that into a router. USB is a ...