Sadly, the rules inexplicably don't permit ethernet switches or anything but the one KoP Axis camera to connect to the second ethernet port.
Quote:
<R66> Inputs to custom circuits can be connected only to the following sources:
A. Power Distribution Board protected 12Vdc outputs
B. Speed controller outputs,
C. Relay module outputs,
D. Analog Breakout outputs,
E. Digital Sidecar PWM Out, I2C, Relay or Digital I/O ports,
F. Other custom circuits, or
G. Switches, potentiometers, accelerometers, sensors, and other additional permitted electronics.
<R67> All outputs from sensors, custom circuits and additional electronics shall connect to only the following:
A. Other custom circuits, or
B. PWM Out, I2C, Relay or Digital I/O ports on the Digital Sidecar, or
C. Analog In ports on the Analog Breakout.
D. Ethernet Port 2 on the cRIO Mobile Device Controller (to which the Kit Of Parts-provided camera, and only that camera, may be connected).
|
Note the ruling on the ethernet port. Note also that the serial port isn't mentioned, so that isn't an option either.** So while it's legal to use a second PC to increase your processing power, you're actually going to have an even harder time talking to it than you would have in 2008. The Gumstix would be the easiest interface, as you can get one of the expansion boards with an SPI or I2C interface, which would make things marginally less painful.
--- Nevermind the below, per Joe Ross ---
**This is confusing, as the WPI Libraries have rather good support for the Serial port, so forbidding its use seems... silly. I'm posting this to the Q&A to see if it's an oversight.