Hi Sarah !

Both mechanical and electronic mechanisms would work fine, it would really depend on how it is being used and how mechanically inclined you are to make a prototype to test it.
Be careful not to divulge too much info:-)

Sarah,

I have a digital kitchen timer and the least amount of time I can program is one minute.

I agree with Sally – be very, very careful about how much information you offer and good luck.

Sarah,

A very simple way to do this via a microcontroller. They are basically small, self container computers on a chip. They will take many diffrent types of inputs and outputs. A push button as the input and a buzzer as the output is quite an easy operation. All you have to do is write some short code that does the counting.

A good source for information is sparkfun.com. There have some great forums that might already have an example. I would love to help you out in any way. Please email if you have any questions. I have been doing projects with microcontrollers for years now and they are wonderful.

Mark

markeilertsen@hotmail.com

Sarah, here is one site which has information if you want to build a timer. http://www.zen22142.zen.co.uk/Circuits/Timing/5..., or try omron at Omron Electronics LLC Phone: (847) 843-7900

(800) 556-6766 they have timers, here is one which may help Analog Timer — H3CR-F
SPECIFICATIONS

Unit Specifications
Instrument Type Timer
Number of Functions Multi
Direction
Functions Controller; Delay Cycle Timer
Reset Remote; Auto

Timing Specifications
-——————————————————————————————————————-

Time Range Multi; Field Selectable Time Ranges
Minimum Time Setting (seconds) 0.0500
Maximum Time Setting (hours) 300
All Time Ranges .05 sec-30 hr, 1.2 sec-300 hr
Setting Accuracy (±%) 5.00
Repeatability (±%) 0.3000

User Interface
-——————————————————————————————————————-

Display Type Moving Pointer
Number of Digits ()
Digit Height (inches)
Programming Potentiometers / Dials
Outputs
Output / Interface Switch
Output Specifications DPDT

Input
-——————————————————————————————————————-

Maximum Count Frequency (kHz)
Number of Input Channels () 3
Signal Input Type
Sensor & Specialized Inputs Switch; SolidState

Physical Specifications
-——————————————————————————————————————-

Power Supply AC; DC/Battery; 100-240 VAC, 24 VAC or 12/24 VDC
Minimum Power Consumption (milliwatts)
Mounting DINRail; Panel
Length (Depth) (inch) 2.62
Width (inch) 1.89
Height (inch) 1.89
Weight (lbs) 0.2205

Features
-——————————————————————————————————————-
Audible or Visual Alarms

Operating Temperature (F)
-——————————————————————————————————————-
14 to 131

Notes
-——————————————————————————————————————-
Repeat cycle models with either ON or OFF start operation functions
Available from:
Omron Electronics LLC Phone: (847) 843-7900

(800) 556-6766

For More Information
Request a Quote
from the company

Send an E-mail
to the company

See Product Details
on company Web site

there are other companies and you could search globalspec.com for them.

Hi this might sound kind of stupid, but I’d go by a kitchen timer they make ton of them and they are cheap and can do what you want. I’d set it for the time you want and them only leave the button to start it and the display exposed. That way it’ll always be a 60 second timer. If you don’t like the case it’s in just take it apart. No need to go out there and build one unless you really want to.

You can probably find one at Bed Bath and Beyond, or maybe even a dollar store. Here is a link to one on ebay that I think would work great for you.

Do a search on Ebay for a kitchen timer and you’ll find a slew of them.

This is incredibly easy to do with digital logic. You need a 555 timer, a shift register, some resistors, capacitors and knowledge of how to put it together.

I’m curious though, why 60 seconds?

Sounds like the type of timer used in most cameras probably available from camera repair parts supplier.