Just like a PC’s USB port, the serial port on a PC can also in some cases serve as a power supply. A USB port can provide as much as 500 mA at 5V, but a serial port provides less power. Even with the ...
The usual way send data from a microcontroller is either over RS-232 with MAX232 serial ICs, crystals, and a relatively ancient computer, or by bit-banging the USB protocol and worrying about driver ...