"I'm at my wit's end here because I simply can't believe Volvo would do this with a manual transmission vehicle, and if I try to go outside and figure it out myself, I am going to get extremely pissed off..Haha...
...It's ridiculous Volvo would use something like this."

Volvo isn't the only company using this overdrive. Jaguar, Austin Healy, Alpine, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Triumph, MG and others such as American Motors, Chrysler, and European Ford Transit vans also use/d them. Over a period of 40 years, Laycock built over three and a half million of these units, and more than one million of them were fitted to Volvos.

BTW, this OD is not "Electronic". It's electrically controlled but 100% machanical (and hydraulic) inside. I'm surprised you don't know that, given that you "work on cars for a living" and have "had 8 240s". And the Electrical part is a long way from being Rocket Science:

One fuse
One solenoid to control the OD.
One relay to control the solenoid
One switch to control the relay
One "4th gear" (detecting) switch on the tranny cover
A few wires connecting these items

AllData or Mitchell probably have the simple diagram if you don't (after 8 240's) own a Bentley manual yet.

--
Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.