> Imprecisely yeet the stepper motor all the way left/right, toggling the target temp between “really really hot” or “really really cold”

> Option 2 certainly is the “jankier” of the two options, given that it relies on a second-order property (target temp) to power the unit on/off… but hey - whatever’s easier, right?

Isn't this basically how a thermostat works? I.e. there is a component that is binary on/off, and a thermometer is used to decide to switch on or off.