Abstract: The battery-operated power supply unit, which comprises a switching transistor whose current terminals are connected in series with a battery, in the current path of the power supply unit, comprises a protective circuit, which is arranged across the current terminals of the switching transistor and evaluates the differential voltage across the switching transistor. The switching transistor is in particular a MOSFET with a parallel-connected internal diode. In the event of too high a differential voltage, the power supply unit or an appliance connected downstream is switched off, so that the switching transistor is not destroyed in the event of a fault.