About this replacement
Intermec CK3 / CK3A / CK3X / CK3R Series — 3.7V Li-ion Replacement Battery (318-034-001)
This is a 3.7V, 4400mAh Li-ion replacement battery for the Intermec CK3, CK3A, CK3X, and CK3R handheld barcode scanners. It replaces OEM part numbers 318-034-001, 318-033-001, 318-033-021, AB17, and AB18. The CK3 series is used across warehouse pick-and-pack, retail stockroom, and asset-tracking environments where the scanner runs hard across full shifts.
- CK3 platform compatibility: The CK3, CK3A, CK3X, and CK3R share the same battery bay geometry, contact pin layout, and BMS handshake protocol — all four models draw from the same 3.7V battery rail, so this pack covers the entire CK3 family without modification.
- Bench tested on actual hardware: We ran this pack in a CK3R under combined Wi-Fi polling and scan trigger cycling. The BMS responded correctly at low-charge thresholds — no false cutoff on the first scan burst after installation, and charge acceptance from the dock was clean from the first cycle.
- First-install cradle protocol: After fitting this pack, seat the scanner in its charging cradle and run a full charge cycle before taking it to the floor. The scan trigger draws its highest inrush current when the cell is near minimum — a pre-charged cell prevents a BMS protection trip on the first barcode scan of the shift.
Cradle charging error on a new CK3 battery pack
The CK3 charging cradle communicates with the battery BMS through spring-loaded dock contacts. If those contacts carry oxidation or debris, the dock reads a handshake fault and flags a charging error even though the pack itself is fine. This is more common with aftermarket packs that sit in packaging before installation. Wipe the gold contacts on both the battery and the dock with a dry cloth, reseat the scanner firmly, and check that all four contact pins are fully engaged — the error clears in most cases within 30 seconds of a clean connection.
Scanner losing wireless connection during rapid scan bursts
The CK3 runs its 802.11 radio and imager from the same battery rail. During a rapid scan burst — multiple triggers in quick succession — the combined inrush from the imager and the radio transmit pulse can cause a momentary voltage sag. If the cell is already below roughly 3.5V, the BMS may briefly throttle output, and the radio drops its access point association before reconnecting. A fully charged pack keeps the rail stable above that sag threshold. If dropouts persist with a charged pack, check that the Wi-Fi channel is not congested — reduced retransmit load lowers the radio's current draw during scan sequences.