Garmin iQue 3200 GPS Replacement Battery 3.7V 1600mAh

Garmin iQue 3200 / 3600 Series — 3.7V Li-ion Replacement Battery (1A2W423C2)

This 3.7V 1600mAh Li-ion cell replaces the original battery in the Garmin iQue 3200, iQue 3600, and iQue 3600a handheld GPS navigators. These devices combine GPS navigation with PDA functions, drawing on a single Li-ion cell that degrades with daily charge cycles. Capacity is 5.92Wh, matching the original specification.

• iQue 3200, 3600, and 3600a compatibility: All three models share the same battery bay dimensions, connector pinout, and BMS handshake protocol — one cell covers the full series without modification.
• Bench tested on actual hardware: We cycled this cell through charge and load on the iQue platform. The BMS accepted full charge without error flags and held voltage within spec under GPS receiver and display load simultaneously.
• Cold-start satellite acquisition after fitting: After any full power removal, the iQue performs a cold start. Power the device on outdoors and leave it stationary — first satellite fix can take 5–10 minutes. Subsequent warm starts drop to under a minute once almanac data is cached.

GPS accuracy reducing at low battery on the iQue series

When cell voltage drops below roughly 3.5V, the iQue reduces power to the GPS receiver to protect the PDA functions. This lowers receiver sensitivity and can cause position drift or slower re-acquisition of satellites. A degraded original battery reaches this threshold far earlier in a session than a fresh cell. Fitting a new cell at full rated capacity keeps the receiver running at full sensitivity throughout normal use.

iQue shutting off without low-battery warning

The battery indicator on the iQue reads state of charge from a voltage curve calibrated to the original cell. After extended use, that curve drifts — the device reads 20% remaining but the actual cell voltage has already hit the BMS cutoff threshold. The result is an abrupt shutdown with no warning icon displayed. Fitting a replacement cell resets the voltage curve; run two full charge-discharge cycles to let the indicator re-calibrate against the new cell's actual discharge profile. After cycling, the warning should appear at approximately 3.6V before cutoff.