[lcpunkrawk]

Will the S15 lens kit work with a 15.4" widescreen? I've checked the dimensions and the kit seems to be for 15" standard 4:3 aspect ratio. Will I have to use the Pro fresnel lenses? And if so, will I need the Pro lens triplet rather than the S15 lens triplet? I'm hesitant because it's a $155 difference between the two.

[Bluedog]

Suggest you do a search it has been asked and answered many times before ..... the short answer is NO.

If you are looking at avoiding the cost but want a good picture look for a Beseler or Buhl 18" opaque projector lense.

There are several on ebay and look in the trading post section of LL. Here is one example:

18" Lense on ebay

[Quasi_Mojo]

Read this thread (HD projector with component, composite, coaxial, AND HDMI inputs?). Twice, even.

Then check out what new member John D did here.

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Here's a little info that I like to hand out to new members:

The best place to start is The Lumenlab PRO DIY Projector Guide V.3.

Once you have a grasp of the basics, you might want to peruse the pinned topics at the top of the Beginner's Forum. This is also where you should go to create your own threads when you have questions. When you start your build, you can create your own PLOG to chart your progress and to ask questions about your particular build.

Then you can move on to the pinned topics of the DIY Video Projector Design forum.

When you're ready, you'll need to decide what parts (LCD, Fresnels and triplet) you'll need. To do that, you can use the handy FocalCalc. FocalCalc will help you determine your enclosure measurements and will let you experiment with different parts before buying anything. This will also tell you how far from the screen your projector needs to be (throw distance).

I've found that Google Sketchup is handy to use to design and visualize what your projector will look like. And best of all, there's a free version you can use.

A lot of the questions you might have probably have already been asked and answered several times. While most of us do not mind answering some of the same questions repeatedly, you might get more satisfaction in finding the answers yourself. Unfortunately, the built-in Search feature on most of these online forums is quite limited in what it can do. You might find it easier to search using Google using the "site" parameter. Below is an example:

Google search: site:lumenlab.com +"12.1" projector +plans

You can find other parameters by clicking the Google links in my signature.

You might run across a "quirk" when searching using Google, however. If you notice the thread looking "wonky" like this image, simply go up the the top right corner of the thread and click on Options and then Switch to: Standard.

I hope this gets you started on the road to your new obsession and I look forward to seeing your progress.