Superdrive / 2nd drive not detected. Interconnect fault?

Hello world!

I got a Mac Mini late 2009 and upgraded it a little... 8GB RAM, swapped the 160GB HDD with an SSD, works like a charm...

BUT: I haven´t managed to get the Superdrive to work. It did not insert any discs, and seemed dead.

My first thought was that the optic sensor must be dirty. Tore the box apart, checked, all seems fine. The "system properties" did not recognize anything on the 2nd SATA channel. Under "CD-burning" it said that no device is detected. My second thought was that the superdrive is bad. Tried another drive: same problem.

NOW: I ordered the OWC Data Doubler, and installed it with the "old" HDD in it, after formatting it via USB enclosure. The machine does not recognize this either. Not in "Disk Management" nor any other way. The drive is OK, as long as it works via USB...

SO: Could the interconnect board be faulty in some way? Maybe the "slave" channel is somehow burned out? Pried the board out, no damage can be seen on the connectors or chips. Looks like new. But won´t detect anything plugged into it on the upper channel. Have now ordered a new interconnector board, and am eager to see if I´m right.

Just wondered if any of you have experienced similar problems, and possibly have any hints or tips... Could it be something else?

I´ll post an update as soon as the new I.C. board is mounted.

Thank you in advance!