Here is a hand drawn schematic of the circuit I am using with the A23 12 Volt Battery.

 

TWELVE VOLTS IS ONLY HALF OF THE EQUATION! You need more current than the battery can provide. Current is the other half of the equation. That battery can not provide the needed current for the buck converter.

 

When the switch is in the Off Position, the Battery is not connected to anything.

Hi,
The TS clearly states the above quote, the battery drains when the power switch is set to OFF, so what is the point of commenting on the battery power???

As stated a number of times, use a test ammeter to check if there is any current being drawn from the battery when the switch is OFF.

@Caludaj
1. Set the power switch to OFF
2. Connect one lead of the ammeter to the battery positive, connect the other ammeter lead to the input side of the switch. [ the switch input pin that is normally connected to the battery positive]
3. Then adjust the ammeter settings so that the ammeter displays any current.
4. Post the ammeter current value.

E

 

Another useful measurement would be, with the battery out, the resistance of the switch in on and off positions.

 

Welcome to AAC.

Why are you using that battery? It is designed to be used in extremely low current applications. It can't possibly power the load you have described for very long at all. If you look at the datasheet you will see that the maximum load they even bother to show is 15mA and the listed capacity has a cutoff voltage of 6V.

My surmise is that you are simply draining the battery and then when you try to turn your device back on again the voltage is too low for the buck converter.

Measure the voltage of the battery before you use it, then at intervals of use, I am willing to bet that you find it dropping precipitously.

Why did you choose that battery?

 

SCHEMATIC PLEASE

Edit: Note that 0.48mA is 480 microamps (480µA) or (0.00048A)
The Amazon page claims it's a 23 amp battery. It's not! It's the wrong battery for your application. Unless you can show us a schematic and pictures of the project. 12 volts doesn't mean anything without understanding how much current is being drawn and for how long. Yeah, your battery is going to go bad quickly.

NO!!! The amazon page claims it to be A "SIZE A-23" battery. Battery size is a code that is intended to convey the physical dimensions of a battery. Really, it has no other purpose, although some folks believe otherwise.
Certainly each battery type has a intended discharge rating , either "Milliamp Hours" or "Amp Hours" at some specific load current. And every type of load that would be connected has a specific current draw, at the specified voltage. (BUT that might be kept a secret)

The very simple test to do is to connect your volt meter across the load. The voltage with the switch off should be ZERO! when the switch is turned ON, the load voltage should be the same as the battery voltage. (or VERY close to it)

 

NO!!! The amazon page claims it to be A "SIZE A-23" battery. Battery size is a code that is intended to convey the physical dimensions of a battery. Really, it has no other purpose, although some folks believe otherwise.

. See post #11

Pretty clear to me they were advertising this battery as being 23 amps. Of course I know better, but they cater to people who don't always know what they are buying. "A 23 AMP BATTERY ? ? ? HOLY MOLEY, THAT THING WILL DO WHAT I WANT FOR A YEAR AND A DAY!" is what they might think or say. Amazon does present this as a 23 amp battery. Of course those who are writing these items up don't always know what they're talking about. It's easy to misrepresent a product without trying. I've seen this a good number of times. The buyer has to be acutely aware of what they are buying. And I've fallen victim to this issue myself on more than one occasion.

 

Three levels of lying:
Liars, damn liars, and Amazon spec-writers.
EDIT: Ebay should also be included.

 

Your friends cat is smarter than some people. Obviously the person who wrote the page seen in the screen capture on post #11 isn't as smart as a cat. They claim it's a 23 amp battery. Black-n-White. And my grandson would see that and think there's such a thing as a 23 amp battery.

BTW: My car battery is rated in 450 CCA (Cold Cranking Amps). Mew.

 

Automotive batteries do have "CRANKING CURRENT" ratings because that is one of the things an automotive battery is required to be able to do. but a tiny battery like that would never be capable of such a high current!!

 

Bill, you and I know that. And your friends cat does too. For whatever reason why a cat would want to know that. But Amazon is presenting that tiny battery - that you and I know can't deliver 23 amps - claims it does. Either it's false advertising OR it's just something some kid employed in some third world country who has zero education in electronics has made an assumption that A-23 means 23 amps.

 

This is a method to measure very small leakage currents with a 9 volt battery and a voltmeter using the meter's internal DC resistance. (analog meter = ohms/volt). Internal AC resistance is also a thing;

+ 9v—————————————————
|
Fluke 87 internal DC Res = 10Meg
|
Fluke 87 Reading 4.5v —->
|
Leakage Resistance = 10Meg
|
- ——————————————————

If V in is 9v and the voltage measured is 4.5V, the leakage resistance is 10Meg.

By using a higher voltage, higher leakage resistances may be verified.

Also by using Mr Ohms suggestion, leakage current may also be measured.

 

The TS clearly states the above quote, the battery drains when the power switch is set to OFF, so what is the point of commenting on the battery power???

In my mind what is in question is how the TS is coming to the conclusion the battery is draining when disconnected. Only two modes of failure can account for that outcome. The switch is not fully isolating the battery or the battery is somehow defective. While this is what the TS is telling us - what we don't know is by what means is this conclusion being formed. A new battery measures 12V. After one use and after some period of time the device is activated again only to find the battery is too weak to initiate the circuit again and thus the TS comes to the conclusion the battery has somehow mysteriously drained. The one single factor which we can not determine is how the TS is coming to this conclusion.

In reality the battery should not be draining when the circuit is off. If the switch is not the issue then either the battery is defective or the means by which TS comes to the conclusion that it's draining even when off when in reality it isn't. Which is why I recommended back in post #6

Disconnect the battery and measure the voltage for a few weeks and track the results. It's possible the battery may be self-draining. If you're using Li-Ion batteries you could have a defective cell.

the TS should remove the battery and monitor its voltage over a few weeks. I'm confident if the TS does that he will discover the battery is not draining at all.

 

I believe the reason why the TS has concluded that the battery is self draining is more due to the fact that when new, the battery can fire up the circuit (overcome the startup current). But after that, upon the next startup the battery is too weak to start. Hence, a check of the voltage reveals a drained battery. But the reason for focusing so profusely on the battery capacity is because of the possibility that this conclusion may be correct - the TS has put into service a battery that is not up to the desired task. This is the only conclusion I can come to - the wrong battery is in use once and incapable of working a second time, leading the TS to believe the battery is self-discharging.

 

The simple check for an unintended battery drain is to diconnect the battery after use and see if that prevents the aparent discharge problem.
I have come across rechargable batteries that have deteriorated so that they will not hold a charge even when disconnected immediately after charging. A day later they test dead when using a good DVM to check the voltage.

The data sheet clearly states the "battery capacity" is 50 MIlliamp Hours. How much current does that transmitter draw?? I will check.

 

Of course, the fact that the battery is in fact dead after the first use will certainly still be dead when next switched on. The TS has never discovered that it is dead right after the first use.
Thee are batteries that will recover a bit after use. This is not one of them.

 

TS has ghosted us.

 

. See post #11
View attachment 367737
Pretty clear to me they were advertising this battery as being 23 amps. Of course I know better, but they cater to people who don't always know what they are buying. "A 23 AMP BATTERY ? ? ? HOLY MOLEY, THAT THING WILL DO WHAT I WANT FOR A YEAR AND A DAY!" is what they might think or say. Amazon does present this as a 23 amp battery. Of course those who are writing these items up don't always know what they're talking about. It's easy to misrepresent a product without trying. I've seen this a good number of times. The buyer has to be acutely aware of what they are buying. And I've fallen victim to this issue myself on more than one occasion.

CLEARLY the listing copy was done by A TECHNICALLY ILLITERATE copywriter person! An individual unable to understand the more detailed information given . And likewise, if there was a proof-reader, they also had no clues.