Hi Russell,

Kai, My statement suggesting that Prahlad get a consultant wasn't mean't as an insult - quite the opposite.

Thanks for your suggestion. Your suggestion of seeking help of some consultant was certainly not an insult. But I am intrested more in learning rather than just getting rid of things by consulting some one else. Although I am a graduate Mechanical Engineer [B.E. Mech], but since my childhood I was more attracted towards electronics and that's why now my area of intreset is Industrial Automation ie. Mechanical + Electronics. I never joined any school or class for learning electronics, whatever electronics I know I have learnt just by reading books and internet forums like www.8052.com were certainly among greatest helps.

The point I'm trying to make is that we've given Prahlad a few suggestions - ground plane is good, ferrite beads etc but to blindly follow the suggestions is probably not too good an idea

You are right Russell following the suggestion blindly is not at all a good idea & I never follow any suggestion blindly, before applying any PCB suggestion I open my Noise Reduction Techniques in Electronic Circuits by Henry Ott learn the things and then apply them. You might ask when I have the reference book with me why at all ask here. Reading the book is one thing and experience is another I might be knowing the things but it wont strike in my head when I need them unless enough practice has been done. I have recently started with PCB design it will take some pracrice to perfect the things. I appreciate help of all you guys.

Also, in reference to my comments previously regarding the little open-ended tracks on the ground plane - either remove them or move the other tracks so that they can rejoin the ground plane. What is the collective opinion here - if it was a clock line then the distance and width of the track could be critical, but for a general low speed signal line??

There are no tracks which are open ended I mean all the tracks are either signal tracks or a part of GND plane. I have checked carefully All the small traces which might seem open ended are connected to GND plane atleast at one point. I have turned Orphans off so in my GND plane settings so there can't be any region of GND plane physical unconnected.

Thanks once again for your suggestions.

Thanks & Regards,
Prahlad Purohit