I fixed it!
just needed to hold reset button while plugging power in.
after adding static DNS IP addresses my WNR-3500L died (DHCP/WAN/Wireless/telnet stopped working).
on power up I get a 30 second window where it will respond to pings, then all lights except power flash green for 1 second and it goes into a coma.
tried tftp (several times) as soon as i get the first response ping, but no luck there either.
i have a pl-2303 cable (3.3v) and soldering iron, but would like to find an easier way if at all possible..
Did you forget your password?
You can also log in using OpenID.
..found out I can send files to it via tftp server (start tftpd32, rename a .chk/.bin file to "vmlinuz").
not sure if this is helpful though as both micro and stock firmwares transfer successfully, but nothing happens on the router.