A programmable resistance circuit provides a selected resistance by configuring a reference resistor to exhibit an effective resistance, in an operational sense, by achieving an average output voltage between a source line and a return line in the programmable resistance circuit. The average output voltage corresponds to the effective resistance. The effective resistance is achieved by utilizing a modulated voltage source to bias a transistor and intermittently draw current across the reference resistor according to the duty cycle of the modulated voltage source. A programmed resistance circuit can produce a selected resistance corresponding to button selection zones of a vehicle user interface when connected to a remote circuit that acts according to a user selection.