Thank you for your prompt answer, I was curious in light of the change in R3 to the '16U processor and also the use of a processor instead of much (I think) less expensive USB UART interfaces like the CP2102 or FTD232. The main reason was that the Comm link appears to be a 9600 baud common RS232 data link. I haven't yet gone to the bother of doing much more than looking at the 5v data on the board with an oscilloscope and the next thought was that well, Maybe someone has done it before. Many years an old man told me "If You don't Ask, You Don't Get" so... I think what I want to do will be trivial, not much more than a serial LCD display board to get the information I need.
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