Alex Eames has done a great video in which he explains how the new RasPiO Breakout Pro protects the Pi. It has resistors for protecting the Pi from excessive amp draw and diodes to protect the Pi should you connect up an over-voltage input. It’s a great board the fits really nicely on your GPIO pins and breaks them out to multiple headers. It means you can play about with your Pi without risking the magic smoke escaping! If you’re just starting out with GPIO, you pretty much need one of these for protection.

Here’s the video:

Here’s a link to more information about the board and you can buy one from The Pi Hut or from Cyntech.