I am planning my first build. It will be consisting of a 15.4 screen with pixel works controller board.
I was wondering which fresnel lenses to use as I figured if using the 220mm and 650mm that are required for the pro lens triplet I can upgrade to the pro lens later with some modifications.

My question is can i use those fresnel lenses with the S15 triplet?

I saw on the faq that they use A395a and A395b fresnels. Are both(the pro fresnel and A395a/b) viable choices?

Any suggestions are welcome.

~Mike

Welcome to the Forum!

Yes, you could upgrade to Pro lenses when you want to, but your enclosure would have to be about a foot longer to accommodate the 650mm FL Pro fresnel.

Here's a couple threads that I would recommend that you read:
HD projector with component, composite, coaxial, AND HDMI inputs? (Post #32, in particular)
Haas Style plans for 15.4 wuxga (short throw FocalCalc results in Post #10)

If you still decide to use the short throw fresnels, you might want to consider building a cardboard mock-up (like John D. did) to get a feel for what the end results might be like.

After reading those, if you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

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I like to include the information below for 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.

Thanks for the help and advice. I'll try testing some different things and see which one I like best. Probably gonna go with the other fresnels then I can just buy new ones if/when I upgrade.

~Mike

If you go with the S15 lens then you have to match it with a 330mm fresnel.

If you go with the Pro lens then you need to match it with the 650mm Pro fresnel.