Temp reading 236C at startup even when nothing is attached?

Hello everyone, I am at my wit's end with this problem and I am hoping someone can give me some resolution.  My problem is that when I hook up to my board with either pronterface or repetier (use repetier normally, used pronterface as a control test)  I connect and it says my bed and my extruder temps are reading 236C right off the bat.  I removed the board and tried again with nothing attached, same result.  I tried re-flashing the new firmware and flashing the new repetier firmware and found out that I had no bootloader.  After some reading I determined that I probably shipped without one and set about installing one on the chip.  That was an experience unto itself and if anyone needs any help doing that from Mac OSX let me know, I can help if my liver is strong enough.

After FINALLY getting a bootloader on the thing I uploaded the original firmware as well as a couple other versions I had lying around and every time, 236C - 265C depending on the version I used.  Changed the settings for the thermistor, no change.  Short of reprogramming it with detcord and extreme prejudice I am at a loss.

This is the history:

Got Solidoodle, printed fine for the first two days.

For the next two weeks, ran for ten minutes at a time before becoming clogged with mysterious black chunks in the nozzle about six times requiring a full teardown and acetone bath of the extruder each time.  I had a similar problem with my PEEK when I first started making extruder heads, figured that's the issue and just waited for it to work it's way through.

Week three, extruder nichrome burned out and left me high and dry (I'm overseas right now so just getting another one from Solidoodle is not an option.  That and after some of the other problems I've had with them and reading about leads me to believe that involving them directly isn't really a solution.  Support is hit-and-miss and their manufacturing process is riddled with problems from what I can see.)

I've built a number of 3D printers for 3mm filament, reprap and a couple of my own design, so I figure I'll just build a better hot-end for it and get on with my life.  Built the hot end with two resistors because there is no such thing as overkill. 

Ran for thirty seconds before shutting down, removed a resistor because apparently there is such a thing as overkill.  (By shutting down I mean the little light went from bright green to dim when I engaged the extruder and all the power went off until I unplugged and reset it. )

Ran again for 5 seconds before shutting down, I assumed there had to be a short, traced everything, no short, changed power supplies to an old x-box power supply that will not be missed.

Ran again, now board reads 236C as temp for bed and extruder.

Installed a new board, flashed appropriate firmware, runs great with new board, old board still mysteriously reading 236C

If not for my OCD I could probably let this go but apparently this is the only time anyone on earth has had this problem as I have combed the web looking for an answer.  Did I somehow fry the board in a really specific way?  What happened? 

Any help would be greatly appreciated, I would just like to know how this happened so I don't do it twice and I have not been able to replicate the error with 4 Sanguinololu boards or a Teensylu I had lying around.  Is it me?  The board?  The universe?  Karma?

Hoping for a nice, simple, face-palm solution that someone can lay on me, also if I could repair this board and make it usable that would be nice.   

Many thanks,

-dw

Also, is there a picture or a diagram of how the connections go on the board?  I have a 'before' pic I took and a diagram but if there's already one that is better I don't want to post something worse. 

Thanks for all your help