Good point, and I have just done that.
Tech support is simply amazing; when I accidently upgraded my Almond A1A with Almond firmware (I know, it should not have let me), they helped me with unbricking the unit. Service above and beyond the call of duty.
One needs an UART (Universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter) to connect directly to the internal serial port, so it is not for the faint of heart.