Well don't I feel like a right idiot over this.  I was pretty busy yesterday and didn't have much time to figure things out further until this morning.  I decided I would reflash the original firmware, and resetting the configuration at the same time, and check to see if it would work that way, which it did.

Then I went to upgrade the firmware to the later version posted at bitmain, and noticed that the file I was using and assuming was that version of the S3 firmware, it turned out it was S1 firmware I downloaded some time ago for some of those units I had.

SOOOooo.. I owe a big apology to Bitmain on that front.  I was a little frustrated (a lot frustrated) by the delays and while I still stand by the criticism about their RMA process, I was certainly in the wrong about the criticism of receiving the 'wrong board'.  

Long story short, I flashed the correct version of the firmware, reconfigured the unit, and it's now hashing at ~440 GH/s and I'm happier now.

That's the kind of thing I'm thinking of, but not sure of the procedure to do that.  I'm not put off by a challenge, just don't know where to start..

Oh, I've already emailed them.  This post was more of a rant/call for help in case there is anyone there who has a suggestion.  I won't hear from Bitmain until later tonight given the time difference.

And I supposed to other miner manufacturers their support could be considered good.  However, my unit's network interface was dead right out of the box and unlike manufacturers of other high-end cost-sensitive and mission critical hardware, they do not have the option to advance ship the replacemnt, resulting in more downtime while waiting for the faulty part to get to them (I won't rehash that here any more, my opinion in earlier posts is well known).

I'm just a lot frustrated because it's more than 2 weeks now and this thing is still not earning for me.

I suspect the controller boards are quite similar (looks practically identical), so I am guessing it might just be a matter of changing configuration files.  But I'm not that experienced yet with configuring miners, so I'd rather defer to more experienced forum members or Bitmain themselves if it's possible to just update some files and get it working without having to send it back AGAIN.

Way to go BITMAIN.

You sent me an S1 controller board instead of an S3.  Unless there's something I need to do to get this working.

I got in to configure, and also updated the firmware to the latest you have posted.  However on the status screen, it says the frequencies are 350 (like an S1, not 218.75 like it should be for an S3).  It's reporting twice the number of ASICs, but half of them are x's.  And hash speed is all 0.

Does anyone have any idea how to reprogram this so it'll work as an S3??  Or am I going to have to wait another 2 weeks while they send the RIGHT part for the unit that wasn't working right out of the box??

Another 2 weeks.  Another diff.  Sheesh.

At least my other 2 units are working reasonably well (although they're now hashing at around 220 GH/s - consistently.  Well below what was promised.)

I sent my request for tech support to info@bitmaintech.com and got a reasonably fast reply, though it took several days before they finally sent me a shipping label for me to send back the faulty control board.

Must be a change on the site.  The message options are gone for me too.  I had attempted to communicate with them via that method before, but it wasn't until I sent an email instead that I got anything back.

I think I understand the gist of what he was trying to say   However, my point remains that this approach is costing them far more than it needs to.  Penny-wise Pound-foolish, as they say.

Certainly they can negotiate better rates, but why would they use a premium service when they don't have to?  Even at negotiated rates, that is still going to be significantly more expensive.

As for advance replacements, I guess it depends on your industry.  I work in IT doing network and server support through my own company.  If a network switch, or a server hard drive dies, my client is NOT going to want to wait 2-3 weeks for the replacement to come in.  Most manufacturers in this sector for mission critical and time-sensitive applications frequently offer the option of sending out an advance replacement.  Lots of times a credit card is required as security against receiving the defective part.  The replacement part is overnighted (in most cases) and the packaging is used to send the replacement part back (ensuring proper packaging instead of just whatever materials can be found).  Return label is included in the shipment of the replacement part, and all you have to do is box it up, call the number on the courier label and request a pickup.

I just got back from UPS to send my faulty board back to Bitmain.  The guy at the counter was amazed that the label was for Express service, and he said that costs over $1000 to do that!  If Bitmain would set up an advance replacement system (with a small BTC deposit for security against receiving the faulty unit), they could save that excessive cost in one direction of the warranty process.

I just sent them an email to that effect.  It's a win/win - Bitmain could save a lot of money by only having to ship the replacement part on the expensive service, and use a regular (cheap) service to receive the faulty.  The customer benefits by getting the replacement part first and won't have to shut down their mining hardware while waiting for the replacement (at least in cases unlike mine where they at least have a partially operable unit).

BITMAIN - PLEASE CONSIDER THIS!  Not only is it pretty much standard practice for a lot of manufacturers, in this case it actually will SAVE YOU A SHIPLOAD OF MONEY.    Add to that the side-effect of happy customers, I don't see how you can't implement this!

Change the IP on your computer to one that doesn't conflict with what you've already assigned.  Then you can get back in via the currently assigned IP and change (if you want).

Good point. Have you looked for damage to it? Maybe it could be repaired with a little sodder.
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I had a look.  Nothing different between that board and the other 2 controllers on the other units. I also tried playing with the reset button but that didn't have any effect.

See my earlier post.  I have a unit that is 100% useless because the controller board is shot.  It took a week before they saw fit to send me a shipping label.  I have to send them the faulty part first, and THEN when they receive it they'll send me the replacement.  I'll be 2 weeks+ before I get the bloody thing running.  So much for profitability.

You could try the wifi.  If you place your S3s right next to your router,  your router should see them.
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And how do I configure the wifi if I can't even log in via the Ethernet interface?

There is no link on the ethernet port, and the wifi is disabled by default so there is no way to get into the board to give it any alternate configuration.

Not feasible for me as my controller board's Ethernet interface is completely dead - so it's not even possible to get into it with the default IP address to configure anything let alone see the logs. 

Other people have comparatively minor issues and at least get some hashing out of their units.  Mine is completely dead in the water going on a week now, extending to at least another week.

I have 3 S1 units, and thought about swapping the controller from them, but they're still profitable and I don't want to muck anything up that is actually still running.

BITMAIN - PLEASE JUST SEND REPLACEMENT BOARDS TO THOSE WHO NEED THEM AND HAVE ESTABLISHED THAT IS THEIR PROBLEM.  WAITING 2+ WEEKS FOR A SOLUTION KILLS OUR PROFITABILITY.

But apparently the only thing that seems to matter to them is their own profitability.

I'm in the same boat.  I ordered 3 units of batch 2 and the first one out of the box had a faulty controller.  I got the other 2 running, and they're hashing away at normal rate with no modifications.

I contacted their tech support about the faulty unit, did some troubleshooting that they advised (swapping it with a board from one of the working units, using different PSU, etc), and isolated it to the controller board on that unit.  This took only a few days of troubleshooting. 

Now I'm at over a week, and I finally get an email from their support with a shipping label.  I asked for clarification, and they expect me to ship the faulty board to them before they will ship me a replacement.  A process they say will take another week.  So I'll be over 2 weeks with a dead unit, and the next difficulty looming - basically at least .166 BTC lost because of their faulty hardware and slow response.

I asked about compensation, and they said they do not offer compensation.  Given that these units are priced so as to be barely profitable, I am now in a situation where I will most certainly lose money on the deal, while Bitmain has potentially made millions off of their customers.  I find it staggering to think they can't offer simple customer service solutions that are commonplace in other industries - especially with mission critical or time sensitive applications (which bitcoin miners undoubtedly are).  I mean, at least cross ship the replacement board or offer that as an option.  But they drag their feet, and insist on a time consuming return process basically ensuring I'm out any profit that unit could have delivered had I got it mining the moment I received it.

I have another 2 units on B5 and I've requested they cancel my order if they can't make this right. That might seem like an overreaction, but I have a simple approach to those I do business with - and if they don't treat me like I would treat a customer in the same situation then it's no deal.

Hopefully we can all make some noise here and get Bitmain to change their tune.