About this replacement
ABB IRB 120 / IRB 1200 / 1G3PLS14500ABB — 3.6V Li-SOCl2 Replacement Battery (3HAC033492)
This is a 3.6V 7800mAh lithium-thionyl chloride cell that replaces OEM part 3HAC033492 and 3HAC033492-001. It powers SRAM memory retention and real-time clock functions in ABB industrial controllers and robot controllers including the IRB 120, IRB 1200, and 1G3PLS14500ABB. Without a live cell, the controller loses its program and clock data the moment main power drops.
- IRB 120, IRB 1200, and 1G3PLS14500ABB compatibility: All three platforms use the same 3.6V Li-SOCl2 cell on a shared memory backup rail with the same connector footprint and BMS handshake voltage threshold — one cell covers all three.
- Bench tested on actual hardware: We ran this cell against the OEM part on a live ABB controller. The BMS accepted the cell without fault, the battery alarm cleared, and SRAM retention voltage held above the 3.0V cutoff throughout the load cycle.
- Hot-swap rule for ABB controllers: Always replace this battery with the controller powered on and in RUN mode. Li-SOCl2 cells on ABB platforms carry no capacitor backup large enough to bridge a cold swap — powering off before the new cell is seated will wipe SRAM and force a full program reload from the programming device.
Why the ABB controller still shows a battery alarm after the new cell is installed
ABB controllers do not auto-clear the battery fault flag when a new cell is detected. The alarm is latched in software and must be reset manually through the programming interface or teach pendant. On IRB series robot controllers, navigate to the system parameters menu and acknowledge the battery status event. On the 1G3PLS14500ABB, use the connected programming tool to reset the fault register — the alarm will not drop on its own regardless of cell voltage.
New cell reading below 3.6V on first installation
Li-SOCl2 cells ship in a passivation state — a thin lithium chloride layer forms on the anode during storage and holds the open-circuit voltage down, sometimes reading as low as 3.4V on a multimeter. Once the cell is seated in a live ABB controller drawing its normal microamp standby current, the passivation layer dissolves and voltage rises to full rated level within a few hours. Do not reject a cell solely on a low initial reading — confirm voltage again after four hours on the controller's float circuit before drawing any conclusions.