Flicker... I know exactly what you're talking about. Having worked in many different spheres of the electronics field, I'm quite familiar with test points & using precision "test select" components to maintain tight tolerances at extreme temperature & environmental conditions, especially in the avionics field, while utilizing specialized test equipment.
I do agree that there is a definite need to protect manufacturers investments from unqualified "fiddlers".
In the automotive industry, many problems with highly sophisticated electronic control systems are caused by solder joint failure. Most are due to constant vibration, and/or high current draw. Most of those "modules" are hermetically sealed & therefore very difficult to access, so for the consumer the only alternative is a very costly module replacment.
In the home electronics industry, many Integrated circuits have been engineered to be proprietary, with little or no operational documentation. Or looking back to the time of VCRs, a small gear deep inside the mechanism engineered for failure is too labor intensive to repair. Therefore it is much easier & more economically feasible to replace the entire mechanism.
