LAN/NIC problem

[MarkHaysHarris777]

... it's even useless to use GbE since there would be no performance gains compared to Fast Ethernet. And while this might be true when using OS images from pine64.pro or Pine64 wiki this is not true if people would use good OS images (the only original Ubuntu Xenial image from longsleep for example or maybe Armbian in the meantime -- but it really doesn't matter, 

I think it does matter. 

... the official images offered at pine64.pro are what we are recommending as a team, and what we are supporting not only here, but on the irc as well. Essentially I'm saying that we are working with what we have to work with, and doing the best we can with what we have.  And how things have changed; back when I was a young man getting started in electronics computers did not exist (as we know them) and nobody could make anything oscillate in the Ghz range. (my first scope used a long CRT and was populated with vacuum tubes).

Most people are not going to have the equipment necessary to monitor the VDD33 line voltage properly while the unit is in GbE mode.  I don't know, but perhaps TL Lim and company might be willing to replace just enough boards to get some samples back to the lab.  In other words, an exchange.  Maybe a dozen of us send our boards in, and Pine Inc sends replacements back... and then they have our field units to test with and we have functioning boards to get on with our lives with...  I'm just suggesting it, and have no idea how TL Lim might feel about the proposition (just something to think about ).