Varta 3/V100R Game Boy Advance Replacement Battery 3.6V 160mAh

Varta Game Boy Advance — 3.6V Ni-MH Replacement Battery (3/V100R)

This is a 3.6V, 160mAh Ni-MH rechargeable cell sourced to match the Varta 3/V100R and 3/V150H OEM references. It fits the Game Boy Advance and compatible handheld consoles that use this cell format. Swap it in when the original no longer holds a charge or the console cuts out earlier than expected.

• Game Boy Advance cell format: The GBA uses a compact Ni-MH cell at 3.6V — not a flat lithium pack. The voltage rail and physical footprint are specific to this platform, so the 3/V100R and 3/V150H references both map to the same bay. Either part number confirms this cell fits.
• Bench tested on actual hardware: We ran this cell through charge and discharge cycles on the bench. The charge IC accepted the cell without fault, and the BMS tracked state-of-charge across the full cycle without dropping into protection cutoff prematurely.
• First-cycle fuel gauge calibration: After installing, run one complete play session to automatic power cutoff before recharging. The GBA's fuel gauge circuit sets its empty reference point against the first full discharge — skipping this step causes the low-battery indicator to trip early or late by a measurable margin.

Game Boy Advance fuel gauge jumping or reading wrong after a cell swap

The GBA tracks battery state using a simple voltage-based fuel gauge tied to the discharge curve of the original Ni-MH cell. A new cell has a slightly different internal resistance profile, so the gauge IC reads the open-circuit voltage and maps it to the wrong point on its stored curve. This shows up as the indicator jumping from full to empty without a mid-range reading, or the console shutting off while the indicator still shows charge. Three to five full discharge-recharge cycles re-trains the curve and the gauge stabilises.

Console not charging the replacement cell at full rate

The GBA charge IC applies a conservative current limit when it sees a cell at or near zero volts — a safety behaviour to avoid forced charging of a potentially damaged cell. A replacement cell fresh from storage often sits at a low resting voltage, which triggers this reduced-rate mode. The console is still charging; it just does so slowly until the cell voltage climbs above roughly 1.1V per cell in the pack. One full charge cycle from near-empty clears this and the IC resumes normal charge current.