About this replacement
Motorola CLS1110 / VL50 Series — 3.7V Li-ion Replacement Battery (BAT56557)
This 3.7V, 900mAh Li-ion battery replaces the OEM pack in the Motorola CLS1110, CLS1114, CLS1100, and VL50 series two-way radios. These are compact workplace handhelds used in retail, hospitality, and light industrial environments. The cell fits the same footprint as the original and connects via the same contact strip on the radio chassis.
- CLS and VL50 platform fit: These models share the same 3.7V single-cell architecture, identical battery bay dimensions, and the same BMS handshake protocol — which is why one pack covers the full CLS family and the VL50. Swapping between models on the same dock carries over without reconfiguration.
- Bench tested on actual hardware: We cycled this pack in a CLS1110 unit under standard PTT intervals. The BMS handled transmit-current spikes without triggering overcurrent cutoff, and the dock accepted the handshake on first insertion after a clean contact seating.
- First insertion contact check: If the charger dock shows a fault LED immediately after seating this pack, remove it, wipe the gold contact strip with a dry cloth, and reseat firmly. The CLS dock requires a clean contact cycle to complete the BMS handshake before charging begins — this is a contact issue, not a dead cell.
Why the CLS1110 drops to reduced TX power mid-shift on a new battery
The CLS1110 transmitter draws a sharp current spike each time PTT is pressed. Under sustained use across a full shift, voltage sag accumulates — especially if the new cell hasn't completed its first full charge cycle. The radio's power management circuit interprets sustained low voltage as a depleted pack and steps down RF output to protect the transmitter. This is not a faulty battery. Charge the pack to a full green before the first shift and allow two to three charge cycles for the cell to reach rated capacity.
Bar indicator showing one fewer bar than expected after install
New Li-ion cells ship at storage voltage — typically around 3.6V to 3.7V — which sits just below the threshold the CLS radio uses to display a full bar reading. The radio reads voltage directly against fixed thresholds; it has no way to distinguish storage voltage from a partially depleted pack. Place the battery in the dock and charge it fully before first use. Once it hits the top threshold, the indicator will show the correct bar level.