I know for wire, current dictates if the whole circuit will go up in smoke. However on switches I often see [250v, 10amp|125 volt, 20 amp|3/4 horsepower]. This seems to suggest switch ratings are based on power, not current.
I am interested to understand this situation because I am using 1.2 volt rechargeable batteries in parallel that will deliver ~40 amps. They will never be switched on for more than a minute at a time. Depending on how this works I will either have to buy expensive, large 12 volt 50 amp switches, or inexpensive, common 125 volt 6 amp (750 watts, compared to 1.2 volt * 40 amp = 48 watts).
Perhaps it is somewhere between these two choices. What do you think a reasonable switch for this load (1.2 volt, 40 amp) is?
Thanks for any help.