i'm using these as an aftermarket lighting product in the aviation industry.
the voltage from the aircraft is either 12V or 24 V.
power is first supplied from the battery to the switch so that the sytem can be isolated there before hitting the other components incase of a short or other problem.
if the supplied voltage is 24V its going to a converter to 12V, then to the rheostat. the power then goes to the neon bulb power inverter, which we've measured recieves about 1-2.2amps at its connecting terminals.
the whole system works great, i'm just looking to find a cheaper rheostat to lower component costs.