Ok, take my Mum's old Electra 11500. Simple mechanical timer. If I'm correct, as the timer turns, it enables/disables the various outputs to the fill, motor, pump etc etc......right? So how would, for eg, the half load button work and the economy button work? How do these push buttons do their job or do their job in relation to the timer? Does the half load button make the timer rotate quicker!!?? (Ok, that was silly) I can understand on a computerised/fully electronic system as that's easy - it just happens!!
The economy button turns off the element, stats and the solenoid in the timer (that locks it until the water gets up to the programmed temperature) so that the timer advances without heating.
The half load button simply selects the lower pressure contacts in the pressure switch so that there is a lower level.
In the 80's and 90's (before true cheapo digital controls came on scene) the digital machines worked in a similar fashion only electronically and were more reliable.