What is the cost of installing a digital electronic hymn board for a medium sized church?

Upgrading to a digital electronic hymn board dramatically modernizes the aesthetic of a church auditorium. The cost depends entirely on the size the number of display rows and whether it is an imported unit or locally fabricated. A standard imported 3 row electronic hymn board (which displays the hymn numbers brightly in red or amber LEDs) currently costs between 120,000 and 180,000 Naira. These units are highly professional feature very crisp digit segments and come standard with a wireless Radio Frequency (RF) remote control. The RF remote is crucial; unlike infrared remotes it does not require a direct line of sight so the choir master can type in the next hymn number from the back of the church without pointing the remote directly at the board.

Alternatively you can save a significant amount of money by patronizing local Nigerian electronic engineers in places like Alaba International market. They fabricate custom LED hymn boards using high quality LED matrices housed in neat wooden or aluminum frames. A locally fabricated 3 row board will cost between 70,000 and 100,000 Naira. The massive advantage of local fabrication is customization. You can request larger digits so elderly members at the back of a massive auditorium can see clearly or request specific colors to match your church interior. These local units also come with customized wireless remotes or even Bluetooth smartphone app controls. Ensure the fabricator provides a strong warranty on the power supply unit as NEPA fluctuations are the primary cause of LED board failures.

Our church bought an imported 5 row LED board for 250k. It looks incredibly sharp and the congregation loves it. The remote control works perfectly even from the sound desk 50 meters away.

We used a local fabricator in Ikeja. He built us a custom board that connects to an Android app via Bluetooth. The choir master just types the hymn numbers on his phone and it updates instantly on the wall. Very cost effective.

Make sure you instruct the installer to wire the hymn board directly to an automatic voltage regulator (stabilizer). The individual LED diodes will burn out and create dark spots on the numbers if they are hit with high voltage.