pirahnah3

You have to create a router utility first. The pick the card to be upgraded and stuff them into the router utility. Then you add the upgrades desired and click install to upgrade the card.
From my  experience the only card it makes real sense is the extractor card from your inbox (if you have any). Requesting items usually go so fas that there is no need for that, but getting stuff into the system is usually slow.
One of the upgrades (i think L) reduces the time between item pick ups, while the other (most likely R) increases the amount of item being picked up.

I do remember ChimmneySwift having this issue after one of the updates, that he used to be able to one hit enderman with his cleaver and then after an update couldn't. Granted he is not wearing the exo armor but is wearing the witchery stuff. I noticed that using a cutlass that the same result of a 2 hit vs what should have been a one hit kill. 

IDED actually has been doing a pretty comprehensive guide on all the mods in AotB. So, doable, but time consuming.

Depends which route you want to go..
 
Tree farm like Gliss6 or Bdubs 
 
Lava power like Keralis 
 
Mob fueled power with drops and essence like Genny B (Bdubs also did a small version in pirate cove) 
 
Creative power cell if you really dont want to take the time, 
 
or
 
Make your own variation. 

Today I woke up and thought of a new way to kill villagers. *I haven't opened my game since I made this post due to how many villagers I have and what to do with them*
 
 
Create a rail system that has passenger pick ups and passenger drop off rails. Shuttle villagers on the Emerald Express.

Honestly some of the things that come to mind are using things like better storage chests with MFR stuff and red net controllers to make items move around. 
 
Another one that has been done was what Genny B did with the Smeltery and the computerized (very mildly) pumping of liquids around to auto craft the blocks. 
 
Something like B-Dubs did with the carpenters blocks but make it a lot more compact. 
 
Again these are all just thoughts and ideas. 

Yes please, it's worth taking a look to see if there's incompatibilities that may be to do with the update.
 
  Yes, this has been changed in TE, apparently it was unintended behaviour - back to infinite mob grinding for me.

pirahnah3 - There are much better options for powering your altar. Also, with the update to witchery in this version, its possible these values were changed a bit or needs to be replaced so the altar can see them again. Its also possible, depending on your build location, that blocks it formerly counted toward power, were removed due to them were not being intended to count (such as say....stone or something [not true, only example])