How many of you have seen winaldl in action? It costs $5 in parts to build and you can use any laptop that has windows installed!
Even if you have no idea what half the stuff is you still can monitor the sensor data, the flag data, and the error codes. Then if there is a problem just data log and post the information on the board.
Even if you don't have a laptop you should still build the cable and borrow a laptop every once in a while.