[NickE]

If you're looking to modify an old robot for use in PR events and parades, I'd recommend the VEX Controller. It works great, is very simple and connects almost instantly. Furthermore, the controller is completely handheld and doesn't require any external power source (a big advantage for parades). There is potential for interference when using the crystals (we've only had issues with other VEX robots around using the same frequency), but these issues seem to be gone when using VEXnet which typically connects in ~10 seconds. Our t-shirt cannon Shockwave and 2009 robot Devastator, two of our popular PR robots are both running VEX controllers with very simple code.