Update: Got all my data back. I was able to find a data recovery specialist on eBay of all places. For a $200 fee and a trip to the post office, I had my data back few days later. I did have to use RAID Reconstructor and GetDataBack for NTFS to extract the data from the array since the chipset would not detect the cloned disk. The DR guy cloned the dead disk to another identical disk. Not a byte missing.

$4000 my butt! It seems my initial assumptions were correct. These DR corporations are indeed like sleazy car mechanics. I knew that PCB repair couldn't cost as much as a used automobile.

But you wanted to do yourself...

The problem is that you're making assumptions before even properly diagnosing the drive's issue. That being said, shade-tree mechanics are significantly cheaper than professional mechanics too. In your case, the problem turned out to be relatively simple. In many other cases, it does not. What would the ebay guy have done if he got your PCB working and then discovered that the preamp on the headstack was also bad?

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You don't have to backup all of your files, just the ones you want to keep.

When things go well "YOU'RE RIGHT" , when something go wrong , someone else MUST BE a dick... What if turned out to be bad headstack too?