MKR GSM 1400 Battery Power

[bobryant62]

Hi, am very new to Arduino and the MKR family, and having fun with it. But something is not working as I expected it would and not sure what I am doing wrong. I have successfully created a sketch that is working perfectly, when connected via USB to my laptop. However, I need the board to run off battery alone. When I disconnect the USB and connect the LiPo battery to the JST port, nothing happens. No lights. It appears there is no power at all. One of the functions of my sketch is to blink the on-board led, but that doesn't happen when only the battery is plugged in. I have read other posts where people say they have done this successfully.
Here is the battery I have tried: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BTTQ6JT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
What am I doing wrong here?

Another option I tried was a power bank connected via USB. That power bank starts the board, but the board shuts off after about 20 seconds. I think the iSmart port on the power bank may not be compatible with the 1400. But that is beyond my knowledge. The power bank I tried is this: RAVPower Portable Charger USB Battery Pack 20000mAh Power Bank.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[bobryant62]

Note: I did charge the battery before trying it. I was able to read 3.72 volts on a multimeter. The power bank was also fully charged.

[bhines]

Double check the polarity on the jst plug. the positive(red) should be to the left when watching from above, closest to the usb port.

does the board start charging the lipo when you connect it(orange led) ? with the usb also connected ofc.

the powerbank might turn of if there is no load.