[jzampier]

Having been a programmer/electronics person for the last few seasons...
here's my notes:

1. Don't 'butt out'. It's bad then the mech folks ignore your requests and then complain when the bot doesn't do anything useful in auton mode and various other places. Get the sensors you want worked into the design early. Shaft encoders, pots and other stuff. I recommend buying good pots that are nicely sealed.

2. Get a breakdown of what motors and assemblies are being used and lay it out in a spreadsheet to assign inputs and outputs on the RC. This makes wiring easier, and neater. I can send you some old breakdowns if you want examples.

As for the 'best driver'... well, I've always been a fan of holding driver trials with old robots. If you don't have an old robot, try with a new one. Let anyone who wants try and rotate.