I received the latest build today. This version uses a slightly different approach that ultimately makes setup easier. A side benefit was accuracy of timings are further improved. This version looks at numerous ball detections each pass, then calculates the ball timing based on position. Previous versions considered 3 ball locations and timings, but the latest version has no limit to the number of detections per revolution.
In simpler terms, the more the ball is seen, the more accurate timings are. In each pass, the ball may be seen by the camera 3 - 10 times. The only real limits are:
* The lighting: the darker the room, the slower the frame rate possible
* Camera quality: the better the camera, the better the frame rate especially in low-light conditions
* Accuracy from initial testing of latest version is about +/-6ms accuracy which is slightly better than previously. This is for a single revolution (pass of the ball). With multiple revolutions, it is easily reduced to +/-2ms or better.
The V3 timing accuracy is vastly superior to any manual clocking computer in every way. Automated, quick, very accurate, and it never gets tired. Setup is now much easier too. I can't see how it could get much better so I'm very happy with progress.
I expect it shouldn't be much more than a week for it to be operational to the point where it could be used. But there remains some of the secure wireless work to be done. Overall, a reasonable estimate for full completion is about 3 weeks.
