[RachelGardner]

Range:
The ChapR has a range of about 75 feet (determined experimentally). We went with the RN42 (an off-the-shelf Bluetooth module) mostly because it was easy to use. Also, the ChapR was originally for FTC, so we went with Bluetooth to be compatible with the NXT.

RoboRIO Code:
The set-up on the roboRIO side is a quick deploy of our custom Linux daemon. The program just runs in the background and translates packets before sending them to itself (via Serial loopback). This means that any kind of robot code can work with it.

Additional Controllers:
The USB module we use (the VDIP2 module) doesn't support USB hubs (or at least not that we've seen). Also, joysticks take a lot of power for our little 9V battery, so more than 2 might cause battery life issues anyway. You all are definitely welcome to experiment with it (as the code is completely open source).

cRIO Compatibility
The current ChapR is not compatible with the cRIO (given that it relies on the USB port and Linux environment of the roboRIO). However, we got about 75% into development of a cRIO version before we got the memo about the roboRIO, so if anyone really wants a cRIO version, we can release our LabView VI and a link to the RS232 Bluetooth to Serial plug-in. We'd definitely be up for answering questions if anyone wanted to finish a cRIO version from there.


...did that answer your questions? I may have missed something. I can also post links directly to documentation of the various modules if anyone wants.