Follower Mode

The Thrifty Nova supports follower mode, allowing one motor controller to mirror the behavior of another. This is useful for mechanisms that need multiple synchronized motors, like a drive train or elevator.

Basic Usage

To make a motor follow another:

// Create two motor controllers
ThriftyNova leader = new ThriftyNova(1);    // CAN ID 1
ThriftyNova follower = new ThriftyNova(2);  // CAN ID 2

// Make motor 2 follow motor 1
follower.follow(1);  // Pass the CAN ID of the leader

Configuration Example

Followers can be configured like any other motor. Here's a typical setup for a drive train:

ThriftyNova leftLeader = new ThriftyNova(1)
    .setBrakeMode(true)
    .setMaxOutput(1.0);

ThriftyNova leftFollower = new ThriftyNova(2)
    .setBrakeMode(true)          // Match leader's brake mode
    .setMaxOutput(1.0)           // Match leader's max output
    .setInverted(false)          // Match leader's inversion
    .follow(leftLeader.getDeviceID());  // Follow left leader

Important Notes

• The follower will mirror whatever control mode the leader is using (percent output, position, velocity)

• Follower updates depend on the fault status frame rate - slower rates mean slower follower updates

• A motor can only follow one leader at a time

• If you call other control methods (like setPercent()) on a follower, it will stop following

Error Handling

Like other configurations, you can check if setting up follower mode failed:

if (motor.hasError(Error.SET_FOLLOWER_ID)) {
    System.out.println("Failed to set up follower mode!");
}