Yes, thorraks PCB uses 3v and goes through the r1 resistor. the resistor is 10k maybe that is the problem. remove the resistor and solder in a 4.7k and see if it works. I haven't had any problems with my boards running 10k so I'm curious to see if that works.
I'm pretty sure there is an upper limit to how hot you can go. You can change it in the settings but I'm not sure how to do it- Hang on I'm sure one of the guys will jump in and give you more information.
People are still happy running CBPI3 .I think once you get it all set up the way you like it you could run it forever. I'm thinking that's the way I would go- just keep backups on several sd cards