Another discovery, through misfortune, if you leave the switch on (maybe because the timer had timed out before you got home) the relay in the controller that latches when it breaks power to the main controller circuit (to protect that circuit) can cook its contacts and not release even after several power cycles (off/on).
I had to take my controller apart to figure this out and free the contacts (it's a sealed relay). It's working right, for now. I hope the contacts aren't so pitted it will hang again.
When it was sitting latched ON, I heard a little buzz. For once the house was quiet. I just turned the switch off and thought nothing of it. But it had been that way for a couple of days. A couple days later when I tried "NO lights, NO POWER". I won't do that again.