This looks a little like my drive. And yes it is as it was suspected: this happens if you plug in the power cable upside down.
After about 15 successful flashs I did it for the first time, I plugged it in the wrong way. I tell you what happend to mine and how I fixed it:
Look at this picture:
http://xbox-experts.com/pics/liteonalt1.jpgYou you can see a 0 ohm resistor (aka bridge) named R207 on the lower right side of the picture. This resistor connects the a few data lines with the backside through the two holes at the C01 above the resistor.
If you plug in the power cable upside down you put current on this data lines which results in burning the line between R207 and the two holes. It stinks and renders the drive unusable, it even is no longer able to open the tray.
The burns in your picture are much larger and it will be in no way fixable as it was connected much longer than my drive. The burns are beneath the place where mine is but the data line I mentioned starts at this place.
I could fix my drive temporarily. I removed the isolation of a thin wire and tinned it. I drilled a hole through the lower of the two holes and put the wire through it. Then I soldered one side to the left side of R207 and the other side to the back of the circuit board where the hole did go before the burn.
I was able to open the drive again and to read the key. I now need to buy a new drive. I learned my lesson since it nearly cost me a brand new elite 360. And I really want to warn you: It looks like you can't put this cable upside down, but it is much easier done than you think. Even electrical engineers like me make mistakes like that if they hesitate.
This post has been edited by g-sas: Jan 28 2010, 12:59 AM