John Gilmer wrote:
Personally, I can't imagine what use a solid state
circuit board is in an electric oven. Regular
mechanical switches, clocks, and thermostat.
Nobody (almost nobody) ever uses the clock so what
need is there for a circuit board?

Once you design it so that the elements are controlled by the "circuit
board" all kinds of functions become a whole lot less expensive.
Controlling the self-cleaning feature uses the same temperature sensor
that's already in place. The only "extra" is a small electro-magnet and a
switch to keep the oven locked.

I strongly suspect that with a reasonable run, it's as cheap to make a stove
with the timer and electronics as a more electro-mechanical self-cleaning
over.

The only problem is that when the board goes, it's gone.

I suppose it's still possible to get a truly "basic" stove with
electro-mechnical thermostat and no self-cleaning features. But once you
toss in the self-cleaning features the electronics is not much more
expensive than basic electro-mechanical controls and you get the timer
function (and clock) for only a little more cost.

I still remember the old mechanical timers. It always seemed that by the
time I got around to actually using it, the timer had worn out!


You are probably right, the initial cost is less.
But the total cost if any repairs are needed may
be more. Our current stove was new in 1976.
I,ve replaced one indicator light and one burner.
Repair is cheap--less than $25 for a big burner,
less than $30 for either oven element, $6 bucks
for an indicator light, etc. All of the heating
elements, stove top and oven just plug in,
couldn't be simpler.

Never use the timer function, set the clock at
each time change, but seldom look at it.

As for self-cleaning oven, who wants it. Costs
money to operate, probably reduces the life of
every element of the stove (including the circuit
board) because of heat.