I remember in the 80's I noticed that everything was having electronics added to them. I remember asking why it was necessary to have an electonic board on a WASHING MACHINE when the device worked very adequately with simple mechanics.
The answer was, sure, with gears and springs and pulleys, it works but those things cost money. A board of silicon is pennies. And there you have it.
So I shrugged and thought well ok. So long as it's always cheaper to do it that way, although it meant, I was probably never going to repair my washer and dryer again.
I was never much of a gearhead but my little brother was. He and his gang of friends all drove big 60's-70's era muscle cars. The kind that were so huge you could probably climb in under the hood and close it while working on the car. The kind that were so heavy I swear they could just drive THROUGH most of today's cars. Fixing and tweaking their cars was fun, and you didn't need a degree, fancy tools or a lot of money. Just time and effort.
I guess it sucks that this far down the road - it's not so cheap to get that damned board, because it's far too sophisticated for just any company to make it.