As a half-plumber, mostly-IT guy, I despise how tech is (very poorly) applied and implemented in devices like these. It’s always short-life tech attached to stuff that lasts 10-20 years, with complexity beyond necessity.

Lower tech would suffice just as well (think fewer integrated control boards and more external relays). Getting a replacement board in even a few years can be problematic.

Why does my furnace need a convoluted control board, when the primary control is the t-stat, and everything else could be done with a couple relays and a small, simple, timer circuit? Oh, that’s right, let’s make it harder/more expensive for the homeowner to repair.