[Al Skierkiewicz]

D,
I was referring to the amount of data that would need to pass through the buss from each controller and the CRio. Those reading this thread should also remember the switching frequency of the controller is 15kHz and is not synchronized with other controllers. Pulses of high current do last considerably less than the rep rate for switching and data samples in some cases. Also designers need to correlate data with discharge rates on the battery. High current demands reduce the capacity of the battery significantly but with the variable nature of a match, one can only guess at the effect on battery life vs. current usage.
I can give you some data on first hand observation over years of play. Some teams will completely drain a battery in a two minute match (2009 excluded). Some teams will draw down the terminal voltage of the battery enough to interrupt voltage supply to the gaming adapter and/or the Crio causing some loss of game play while systems reboot. Some designs are more critical of battery operation and some designs will produce loads in excess of 400 amps in turns on carpet. All designs will draw near max current in a pushing match or when a driver is lodged against the field borders. There exists enough resistance in most designs to discount power readings at the controllers from being used to predict battery life.
And finally, Al's Rule of Thumb for robot design (derived from observation)...If your robot can't play at least two matches on one battery, your mechanical design and/or driver strategy needs some rethinking.