I know this has been talked about a few times on PF, the general sad state of the shot timer market. I've got my own issues with what's out there myself, and I may get the chance to try something fun. Short version of the story, as part of my degree I'm working on, I'll have to do a build project, maybe 2. If I can get it past university brass, I would like to take a stab at making a better shot timer.
Here's what I personally want:
Adjustable PAR times and delay starts
AA or AAA batteries. I'd do 9V if I had to, but I much prefer the other two options
Box type (roughly Pocket Pro II sized)
Beep volume adjustable all the way down to vibrate (if you've ever tried to dry fire with a sleeping baby in the house, this is a no brainer)
More durable than whats out there now. Ideally, I'd like to be able to punt the thing 6 or 7 times as hard as I can and it still work
Better waterproofing than what's out there now, that way if I find myself in the rain I don't have to worry.
I'd like the user interface to be fairly intuitive and easy to use
I've sent out a few PM's for suggestions, and one of the best suggestions I've got so far is to make sure the PAR times are adjustable in hundredths of a second and not just tenths.
All of this is not terribly complex, and I worry it may not be enough to justify for the project, so I'm asking all of you for your input on additional widgets and the like. If it makes any difference, I'm absolutely not looking to start up "Jared's Hillbilly Shot Timer Shop" and try to make a living selling this, or even a side income. I may ask a few members to try them out and offer feedback (already got one on the line). Also, this will be at least 18 months and maybe over 2 years in the future before I have a working model. That said, I'm planning ahead for this.
One additional idea that I had to make it more indoor range friendly would be a companion wrist mounted accelerometer that would talk to the main box wireless. This does ope up a new can of worms, as that would have to have it's own battery, and I doubt I could make readily available AA or AAA batteries work on the wrist without it turning into a monstrosity.
So, all this said, hit me with your ideas. I can't promise they'll make it into the final design, but I will jot them down and see if I can incorporate them. As long as it doesn't compromise the list I wrote above of my own personal requirements, I'll look at it.