About this replacement
Falard RC 012 / RC12 Series — 7.4V Li-ion Replacement Battery (BL7.2)
This is a 7.4V, 3400mAh Li-ion replacement for the Falard BL7.2 battery pack. It fits the RC 012, RC12, RC12R, and RC12RI crane remote controls. Swap it in when the original cell no longer holds enough charge to keep the remote responsive during a lift cycle.
- RC 012 / RC12 family compatibility: The RC12, RC12R, and RC12RI all run the same 7.4V two-cell rail and share the BL7.2 connector footprint and BMS handshake protocol. One battery covers the full range without modification.
- Bench tested on actual hardware: We cycled this cell through repeated solenoid activation sequences on the RC12 platform. The BMS held stable under inrush current spikes during relay engagement and did not trip into protective cutoff at any point during the test sequence.
- First-use charge protocol for infrequently used remotes: Falard crane remotes often sit idle between jobs. Before first use — and at least once a month during idle storage — charge this battery fully. Li-ion cells discharged below 2.5V per cell will enter BMS lockout, and a standard charger may not recover them.
Solenoid activation causing power dropout on the RC12
When a crane remote triggers a solenoid or relay, the inrush current draw spikes sharply for a few milliseconds. A degraded or low-capacity cell can't supply that surge without the voltage rail collapsing momentarily. The BMS reads that voltage sag as an unsafe condition and trips into cutoff — cutting power mid-command. This BL7.2 cell at 3400mAh provides enough current headroom to absorb those spikes without tripping. If dropouts continue with a fresh battery, verify the remote's internal relay contacts are not drawing above spec.
Remote showing "low battery" immediately after installing a new cell
Fresh Li-ion cells ship at storage voltage — typically around 3.7V to 3.8V per cell, not the 4.2V full-charge ceiling. The RC12 firmware reads voltage to determine charge state, so a cell sitting at storage voltage will report low immediately. This is not a fault with the battery. Connect the battery to its charger and bring it to full charge before first use. Once the cell reaches 4.2V per cell (8.4V total across the pack), the remote's charge indicator should clear.