Why Or'd Vcc with backup battery output shorted battery life?

[jellis00]

Thanks, Dave! That is a very cool design. I see from it how you or'd the Vcc with the backup battery for clock use and connected all the pull-up resistors to Vcc rather than to the backup battery supply. That eliminates the leakage path that I am currently stuck with by having the pullups connected to the battery. I was worried that the clock would continue to maintain time or work properly if I didn't keep the pullups active when Vcc was shut down, but from your schematic evidently it will keep on trucking when Vcc is shut down. Correct??

One other question I had regarding your circuit is how you get away with only one diode on the Vcc leg of the Or'd circuit? I thought I would have to also put one on the leg of the backup battery supply so that when Vcc is active, that diode protects the backup battery from the Vcc voltage.

Now I guess I have to consider cutting some traces and green wiring the pullups to Vcc.... a lot cheaper than a PCB re-do

Thanks again for all your help. Now that you have seen my full schematic in this post, can you take a look at my EMAIL routine in the post I made to your ConnectOne example code thread to see if you see any obvious reasons it isn't working in my application.

[mackrackit]

I thought I would have to also put one on the leg of the backup battery supply so that when Vcc is active, that diode protects the backup battery from the Vcc voltage.

I might be doing it wrong, but with VCC being 3 volts I have not had any problems.

evidently it will keep on trucking when Vcc is shut down. Correct??

Correct, I had a part that got pushed to the back of the bench for around six months (no external power) and the RTC was still alive when I fired it up.

can you take a look at my EMAIL routine

Yes, I am looking at it.

[BobK]

Hi John,

When I sent you my DS1337 schematic last year I only showed the two diodes connected to the Vcc of the 1337. I had the resistors connected to the PIC's Vcc for the very reason that you are experiencing now.

BobK

[Demon]

Moved from Schematics.

Robert