Shot indicating resetting trigger

A firearm training apparatus comprising:

• a housing;
• a trigger movably mounted to the housing, the trigger comprising an actuating portion;
• an internal arm movably mounted to the housing at a fulcrum, the internal arm having a base area and a distal area;
• a first magnet fixed relative to the housing;
• a second magnet fixed to the distal area of the internal arm, wherein the first and second magnets are oriented to attract each other;
• wherein the actuating portion of the trigger is configured to engage the base area of the internal arm upon movement of the trigger, causing rotation of the internal arm about the fulcrum and separation of the second magnet from the first magnet;
• wherein a first distance from a location where the actuating portion engages the base area to the fulcrum is less than a second distance from the second magnet to the fulcrum;
• a magnetic field sensor positioned to detect proximity of the second magnet;
• and
• a first optical sensor positioned to detect initial movement of the trigger.

A firearm training apparatus comprising:

• a housing;
• a trigger movably mounted to the housing, the trigger comprising an actuating portion;
• an internal arm movably mounted to the housing at a fulcrum, the internal arm having a base area and a distal area;
• a first magnet fixed relative to the housing;
• a second magnet fixed to the distal area of the internal arm, wherein the first and second magnets are oriented to attract each other;
• wherein the actuating portion of the trigger is configured to engage the base area of the internal arm upon movement of the trigger, causing rotation of the internal arm about the fulcrum and separation of the second magnet from the first magnet;
• wherein a first distance from a location where the actuating portion engages the base area to the fulcrum is less than a second distance from the second magnet to the fulcrum;
• a magnetic field sensor positioned to detect proximity of the second magnet;
• a first optical sensor positioned to detect initial movement of the trigger;
• and
• a second optical sensor positioned to detect the trigger reaching a predetermined position prior to separation of the first and second magnets.

A method of simulating a firearm trigger break in a training device, the method comprising:

• providing a trigger mechanically coupled to an internal arm through a lever system having a mechanical advantage of less than one;
• biasing the internal arm with a magnetic attraction force between a first magnet and a second magnet, wherein the magnetic attraction force increases nonlinearly as distance between the first and second magnets decreases;
• receiving a rearward input force on the trigger from a user;
• transferring the input force through the lever system to overcome the magnetic attraction force;
• abruptly separating the first and second magnets when the transferred force exceeds the magnetic attraction force;
• and
• detecting the magnet separation using a magnetic field sensor to indicate a trigger break event.