About this replacement
Zebra WS50 / WS5000 Series — 3.85V Li-ion Replacement Battery (BT-000446A)
This is a 3.85V 2400mAh Li-ion cell that replaces OEM part BT-000446A and BT-000446A-18 in the Zebra WS50 wearable mobile computer family. It fits the WS50, WS5000, WS5001, and WS5001-0B2J3020ENA. The pack slots into the wrist-mounted housing and communicates directly with the device BMS over the same contact layout as the original.
- WS50 / WS5000 series fit: These models share the same battery bay dimensions, contact pinout, and BMS handshake protocol. The 3.85V nominal rail is fixed across the range — swapping between WS5001 variants does not change the electrical requirement.
- Bench tested on actual hardware: We ran this pack through full charge and discharge cycles on the WS50 platform. The BMS authenticated correctly on first insertion, charge acceptance was normal, and the pack held voltage across back-to-back scan trigger bursts without dropping below the radio keep-alive threshold.
- First-shift preparation for pick-and-pack use: Place the scanner in its cradle for a complete charge cycle before the first shift. Scan trigger inrush is highest when the cell is near minimum, and a fully charged pack prevents false BMS trips when the imager and wireless radio fire simultaneously during rapid burst scanning.
Cradle charging error on a freshly installed pack
The WS50 cradle monitors contact resistance during the charge handshake. A new pack with oxidised or dust-covered contacts can read as a fault before the charge cycle even begins. The dock reports this as a charging error even though the pack itself is functional. Wipe the gold contacts on both the battery and the cradle with a dry cloth, reseat the scanner firmly, and the charging indicator should switch to active within 30 seconds.
Scanner losing wireless connection during rapid scan bursts
The WS50 runs the imager and the wireless radio simultaneously during high-frequency scanning. Combined inrush from both loads causes a brief voltage sag on a degraded or deeply discharged cell. When the rail drops too low, the radio drops its connection before the imager even completes the decode. A cell at full charge maintains enough headroom to supply both loads — start each shift with the pack fully charged and the voltage sag stays within the radio's hold-up window.