cRIO – excellent. The only trouble I've had is accidentally bending a pin of the compact DB15 in one of the module slots. This was probably due to sloppy and repeated insertion of a module.
Robot Radio – Hasn't shown much reliability on-field, and I have no scientific method of troubleshooting.
Camera – It's a pretty good camera. A shame we can't use the FPGA to process images at the 30fps 640x480 that the camera is capable of. A method of increasing the view angle would be quite useful. Insulating the case from the frame presents a problem if you use the provided camera gimble. Gimble could use redesign to aid in insulation and robustness.
Solenoid breakout – I'm not sure why this was created. I would prefer screw terminals to those PWM-style connectors. (I believe the screw terminals are a removable phoenix connector, which would make it easier to move the cRIO from 'bot to 'bot)
Analog breakout – I appreciate that the noisy regulator was replaced with a linear regulator this year. However, I find it limiting that the only power supply is 5v. What about 10v? -10v? 3.3v? It's silly to have a 12 bit AD converter, and only use 10 bits of it. Plus, those cables look just like the 3-pin cables we use for most of our other signals. I've attached an example pin-out.
In addition to this, I've always found the height of the board and that retaining tab on the plastic shield to get in the way.
Digital sidecar – Everything is packed in way too tightly, and I don't use most of it anyways. I hate having to pull connectors apart with the cable, especially with PWM-style cables, because it tends to pull the connector apart FROM the cable. I would really like the option to use the digital module in slot 6 as 32 DIO, straight-through (even without the resistor pull-ups). This would allow use of sensors that have send and receive on the same line, and it would also allow the use of MORE sensors. (Someone could line their 'bot with limit switches, or have 12 optical encoders, or use the parallax SONAR). Also, it needs much better color-coding. Every year I have to go through and paint it up with nail polish so we don't put things in backwards. I like the lights on the relay outputs, and the space in between the PWM connectors for the PWM signal. In general, it's hard to place anywhere, because wires go to it from all directions, and it's hard to neaten those up.
Power Distribution board – Seems to discourage proper protection. The main breaker should fit in neatly where power is supplied. The camera power supply should have a crowbar at 500mA, not 3000mA. (The camera datasheet specifies 5.0–5.5VDC with a max power draw of 2.5W) The cover of the PD board should not prevent fuses from being used for supplying power to the analog breakout (2A), the solenoid module (10A), and the Digital Sidecar (5A with many servos, 1A without). The power supplies for the camera, the cRIO, and the Robot Radio also throw a lot of noise on the power line. The camera and the Robot Radio should have physical switches to disconnect power from their DC-DC supplies. There should be a large capacitor to buffer noise, because the noise on the main power supply affects the reliability of analog sensors.
Wago Terminals – A little tricky at first, but pretty good. Requires two wago tools if you're using zip cord. I would prefer the wago terminals that have plastic levers on them instead of requiring a wago tool.
Wago Connectors – Need to be color-coded, so wires are not inserted backwards. Split apart when non-official wago tools are used (because most screwdrivers are too wide).
Spike Relay – Push-ons are susceptible to failure. May break off from the board after repeated use. Very expensive item for just an opto-isolator and a three-position double-pole, double-throw relay. No color coding or keying. I would like a CAN-enabled relay to use instead.
Victor 884 – Small package. Nonlinear control. Unprotected fan hurts if you don't expect it. No color coding or keying.
Jaguar – Lots of features available with CAN. Linear control. Forward and reverse limit switches. No color coding or keying. No reverse-voltage protection. Fork terminals are prone to failure and reversal. A better solution would be to use a pluggable connector on both sides of the Jaguar.