Horticultural Lighting Group's Grow and Show

[DCLXVI]

I think I am close to the HLG warehouse because...... I have recieved my light! And it is a glorious piece of kit.

Thank you to HLG and especially @Les @HLG for making this whole thing happen.


The HLG Blackwing:

https://horticulturelightinggroup.com/products/hlg-blackwing

Arrives in a decently sized box with just a bit of heft to it. No markings or stickers to indicate whats inside at all.

Inside the outer shipping box: A... ah.... box!

Open the inner box: Light is well packed in secure form fitting foam. An info sheet, cables/hanger pack, and a neat sticker.

Top of the panel once out of the plastic. Driver, cord, dimmer. Beautiful black finish. Care was clearly taken as the holes were drilled before the finish was applied. No tool marks, burrs, or other blemishes I can see.

The bottom and the QBs:

Driver: A top tier MeanWell unit. The driver appears removeable with a couple screws. However, the cord from the driver to the panel itself is too short to allow much adjustment. There looks to be a watertight screw on connector. If you were handy lengthening the cable is probably not terribly difficult. I expect the efficiency of the panel to produce much less heat and perhaps the need to locate the driver outside the tent won't be necessary.

Dimmer: This has a very nice tactile feel to it. There are 10 clicks of adjustment to the wheel. Each one has a gentle bump and I suspect each click to be a 10% increase of intensity. I do not know if the dimmer is removeable. There are 4 visible screws but I don't know where or if they attach to the unit itself. You can also see the short cord from the driver into the panel. This is where you would need to lengthen if relocating the driver was necessary.

Continued below.....

 

[DCLXVI]

The cable pack: Hangers and cables. A nice assortment. The ratchet hangers are a step up from the usual units. A metal wheel and release lever instead of plastic. The cable hangers are coated wire instead of bare metal. A nice touch.

These cables are about 18" long. So if you use this method be sure to count that into the height in your grow space.

A quick rig to show the hanging height:

AH lets get that cord out of the way! This light has some weight to it but could easily be hung with a single of the ratchet ropes. You could split the cables to one each for more adjustment and even leveling of the panel.

About 17" from the ratchet eyelet

Dimensions listed are extremely accurate at 28" x 7"

I cannot wait to get this thing up and running!

 

[nizmoKush]

So quick question do we post here and in our threads aswell right?

here’s the unboxing of the blackbird and let me tell you what a awesome light from the packaging to the ratchets

 

[wwwillie]

Hey now,
Here we go.

 

[DCLXVI]

HLG Blackwing - Setup and test hang: I put together the new 4x2' tent and hung the light a couple different ways.

With all the included hardware: 1 rope ratchet and 2 cables.

Max height: 47.5"

If you need more height, remove one cable from each end. A bit of care is needed to balance the cable.

Max height: 54.5"

For the most height possible, I used 4 rope ratchets. One at each corner. You will need to have on hand or buy a new set. HLG sends a very nice set with metal workings.

Max height: 61.5"

Lights on!

Power readings: The dimmer has 10 settings on it. Lovely little tactile "bump" you can feel as it settles into the next click. The light is rated at 225W on the HLG website.

0) The light is on. I thought this one might be "off" but it reads 16.4W
1) Click up and the same as 0 - 16.4W
2) 39
3) 67.5
4) 97
5) 129
6) 159
7) 188
8) 214
9) 223
10) 223 (same as 0-1)

Maximum readout I got was 223W. But as stated earlier the light, driver, and wattmeter are brand new. I expect the reading to be changing as everything breaks in over the next few weeks.

 

[WildBill]

First of all, a huge thanks to HLG and Les @HLG for giving me the opportunity to test the HLG DIABLO 650R!
It's the same power level as the light it replaced, but a vastly more even coverage. Looks like I need to get HLG's UV set up with my current florescent bulb setup not lending itself to this set up. No big deal. I'll just use them in my other two tents

Light arrived quickly in a plain box. The light is well packaged and arrived undamaged. Mine had one of the bad batch dimmers from their dimmer supplier. Tech help quickly diagnosed the problem, quickly sent the part(talked Friday and part arrived on Monday), one wire soldered and it was working perfectly. Hits my marks for customer service!!!!

This is one hefty light! The super thick aluminum plate should be a great heat sink for longevity of the light. I didn't pursue a remote mounting of the driver for simplicity.

Fully cranked up and as high as the light would go, there was only roughly 50PAR difference from the highest reading and the corners. The lowest setting at the same height, still had a PAR of just over 300. BEAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An interesting vid popped up in my feed. Stephen must know these guys. Maybe he's trying to boost their subs. He'd get more coverage with guys like Mr Grow It. Informative vid, nonetheless.
I found his comment about bar lights, they are coming out with HLG's version, fascinating. With other MFG coming out with bar lights for even coverage, this light with 4 quantum boards has such an even PAR coverage in a 4x4, I don't think a bar light could beat. This light should have more intensity and penetration, if I understand correctly.
Mossy
Do you guys want to see the unboxing threadmark on our individual threads showcasing the light? I have two other threads with this grow, overall grow coverage with all tents and the one seed test I have.
What other threadmarks do you guys want on our light showcase threads?

 

[WildBill]

All girls fully unfurled this morning under HLG DIABLO 650R

4x4 tent
Fugue State

Knows Candy by Twenty20

Mangos N Chem by Night Owl

Sour Stomper orgy pot by Mephisto

Double Grape by Mephisto

3BOG by Mephisto

 

[WildBill]

[Sour Stomper X CDLC] x FORUM STOMPER above ground!

 

[DCLXVI]

HLG Blackwing:

This Blackwing is absolutely fabulous! The plants finally started to take off in week 3 and by the end, just a day into week 4, they have exploded with new leaves. I'm thinking a high quality light helps a lot!

Moved up to click #5 for intensity and holding at about 18" above the plants. Hopefully these will be some useful guidelines for anyone growing without a par meter or phone app.

Week 3:

Day 14/15:

Week 4: Compare the above pic at day 15 to 8 days later below.....

Also for anyone considering a 4x2 grow space, the Blackwing fits wonderfully in the tent. You could center it up and put two plants with one under each board. Or...... You can offset it slightly and have a nice space for environmental controls.


Here is mine with about 6" off the far side which leaves enough room for a humidifier, heater, and intake duct.

There is also enough room to clear an oscillating fan. This one happens to be one of the new ACInfinity fans. A bit dark but it is at the top of the image.

 

[DCLXVI]

Day 35: End of week 5. Both plants doing great and still reaching/stretching a bit. Light is turned up to intensity 7 and I've been having to raise it almost every day.