I want to thank timnunes for his instructions on how to update the firmware. Without this, I would have wasted a lot more time. Hopefully others will come across the thread and be able to get their system up again.
I flashed all 3 of mine to 1.1.1, huge mistake. All 3 did not come back. Complete reset, AP mode attempts. Nothing. And using a straight usb-B micro to reflash manually does NOT work.
I had to get a USB to serial converter, 5v, and wire it exactly how timnunes describes. I used this one: “DTECH FTDI USB to TTL Serial 5V Adapter Cable 6 Pin 0.1 inch Pitch Female Socket Header UART IC FT232RL Chip Windows 10 8 7 Linux MAC OS (6ft, Black)”
All 3 are now back and operational. Surprisingly, all 3 had all their settings in place so they came right back on the network (not in AP mode).
These are the commands I used:
Download the OpenGarage reflash package and unzip it. (http://raysfiles.com/og/og_reflash.zip).
The package includes esptool, nodemcu firmware, and OpenGarage firmware. Open a Terminal (i.e. command line window), cd to the folder where you unzipped the package. Depending on your operating system, run the following command (assuming the device is in bootloading mode):
Windows: esptool.exe -cd ck -cb 230400 -cp COM? -ca 0x00000 -cf nodemcu.bin
where COM? is the serial port name you found in Step 2 above.
Mac OSX: ./esptool_mac -cd ck -cb 230400 -cp /dev/tty.wchusbserial? -ca 0x00000 -cf nodemcu.bin
where wchusbserial? is the serial port name you found in Step 2 above.
Linux: sudo ./esptool_lin32 -cd ck -cb 230400 -cp /dev/ttyUSB? -ca 0x00000 -cf nodemcu.bin
where ttyUSB? is the serial port name. If you use Linux 64-bit, use sudo ./esptool_lin64 instead.
If you encounter any error, check if the device is in bootloading mode. Repeat Step 2 to enter bootloading mode before flashing.
Finally, once the nodemcu firmware is flashed, re-enter bootloading mode (Step 2) and run the above esptool flashing command again, except replacing nodemcu.bin at the end with og_1.0.4.bin. This completes the firmware reflashing.