[Billfred]

Funny you should mention Vex...

Currently, 2815's cRIO is being serviced by NI. 1293's, for whatever reason, won't accept code.

We plugged in a Vex Cortex controller (going to Victors) into our robot for a demo, and had it running in a couple hours. Upon hearing of our friends' plight (and knowing they were coming to the same demo), we programmed up a second Cortex and brought it with us. In the span of about 90 minutes, we had wired up two Victors (because we weren't 100% certain about the Jaguars that 1293 used) and gotten the Cortex driving their robot with an extra half-hour to spare.

Did I mention that neither team has ever used a Vex controller in this application before?

Put simply, I think you'd do well to use a Vex controller for the signal stuff; if it helps, tape a picture of a cRIO (and the sidecar, and anything else that's missing) in place to help your rookies get an understanding for what'll be on the competition robot. While it's not the same as the new control system, there's clearly value in a system you can get running fast before Thanksgiving and winter breaks and continue to use at your leisure.