I would really like to built a 17" projector but the current Pro lens difficulties make me nervous about designing with the PRO. I've seen a couple of mentions from Brain that say that the standard triplet will just work with a 17" but that the fresnels would have to be sourced elsewhere. I'd jump on this in a second if anyone can tell me that this works. I thinking of dropping back to the 15" to make it safe and simple but missing all those extra pixles bums me out. So I'm kind stuck between designing for a 15" or 17". Please let me know if this works and if there are drawbacks in using the standard lens with the like out of focus corners, dark edges or whatever, I want to start but really need this info first.

Thanks in advance.

Try agian???

My understanding is that the replacement fresnels for the one that was faulty (the field fresnel I think) are coming in within a few weeks. Unless you're in a huge hurry you might want to wait til then. There's lots of people with built projectors waiting for a replacement (myself included) so you won't have to wait for people to build in order to see their results. I believe the problem with using different fresnels for a 17 inch was the cost. I saw on the forums here that one company wanted 500 bucks a pop.

I've found a place that has fresnels big enough for a 17" they are 220fl and 320fl so they should work with the standard 15" triplet.. it was 50$ with shipping to get them..

Yeah, AWI is an industrial supplier of optics, and they would charge you about $500 for a set of fresnels. not worth it. edmund is cheaper, but still pricey. look for my post about alternatives, i list a japanese supplier called rhk. they are what the old guard of diy got before the diy proliferation. i got a 400mm fl fresnel with .3mm groove pitch. it's damn nice, but it ran me about $100. you might as well wait for the pro kit. i am an extremely impatient person, so i know what you may be feeling. you just want to GET GOING!!! and let nothing stand in your way. unfortunately, that doesn't always happen, so the best deals take time. i feel for all of the people waiting for replacements on their defective pro fresnels. that sucks in a huge way. i would be furious, but it's not brain's fault. outsourcing has its' drawbacks, turnaround time and reliability being at the forefront. keep the faith in brain.

Hud,

Can you post a link to this source?

Thanks

last i checked linking to that site was a no no here... hit me up on irc or pm me and i will tell you..

Ahh..
I think I know of the site to which you refer... I've heard that the ordering process is not so reliable.

I thought you had found a new source

Thanks

When are the replacement fresnels coming, and what do they improve upon?
Thanks.

Hopefully they'll come in within a couple of weeks. One of the lenses was the wrong focal length (manufacturer's mistake) so I don't know if they're really an improvement, just the proper FL.

If you're comparing them to the standard fresnels, the pro versions are needed if you're using a 17 inch LCD and/or the pro lens triplet. Otherwise, I don't know if there is any difference in quality between the standard and pro versions.

The standard triplet should work, but a larger triplet will be brighter because it will allow more light through. There's a couple of other sites that have a 135mm long throw lens for $120 that has an effective focal length of 480mm.

Just get the fresnels here they sell fresnels big enough for a 17" projector.