Independent engineering practice
For teams shipping connected products. Firmware architecture, hardware bring-up, low-power wireless, and AI tools that help engineers do better work.
01 / Selected work
Patented inventions, products in customers’ hands, and working prototypes. Selected contributions by Al Friedrich across his engineering career.
Original ideas.
Granted U.S. patents in networking and mediaNamed inventor on U.S. patents covering satellite networking and media technology. Examples include resolving common DNS requests locally to avoid satellite-link delays, and adapting playback speed around significant events in recorded programming.
Production software.
DVR functionality and device integrationContributed software features, fixes, and enhancements to EchoStar set-top-box platforms, including DVR functionality and device-driver integration.
Into customers’ hands.
Connected fitness and wearable productsContributed to the team that launched Wahoo’s KICKR BIKE. Led firmware development for a connected fitness band at Flex, and firmware delivery through mass-production release for a connected safety wearable at Cognosos.
Ideas made tangible.
Working systems to explore the next productLed development of functional set-top-box prototypes for a new market at EchoStar. At Cognosos, built a working device prototype combining firmware, wireless connectivity, a live display, and an enclosure, then mapped its potential across multiple product uses.
The experience behind the work
25+ years in connected products
Named inventor on U.S. patents
02 / Capabilities
A new platform, an uncertain prototype, or a system that won’t behave. We work across the boundaries to solve the problem that actually matters.
Architecture, bare-metal and RTOS development, peripheral integration, low-power behavior, diagnostics, and dependable update paths.
System architecture, prototyping, board bring-up, lab debugging, and validation — with cost and manufacturability in the conversation from the start.
BLE, sub-GHz, telemetry, and connected-device integration. We investigate how the radio, firmware, power system, and environment interact.
Feasibility studies, technical decisions, test strategy, and prototype-to-production support. Turn uncertainty into evidence and useful next steps.
Agents that work with engineering knowledge, use tools, and support product analysis. Design, integration, and evaluation grounded in the problem your team needs to solve.
Explore an idea, test the risky assumptions, and build a working prototype. Practical findings to help your team decide what deserves the next investment.
Intermittent failures, missed power targets, unreliable links, or a stalled bring-up. Let’s isolate the cause.
03 / Our approach
Ventanea leads the work hands-on. When a project needs specialist engineering or program management, we bring in trusted partners and coordinate the execution.
You get the expertise the problem needs, without having to assemble and manage a fragmented team.
Understand the constraints, define success, and test the assumptions most likely to affect the product or the schedule.
Prototype, instrument, and measure. Make the tradeoffs visible, and communicate what the results mean for the next decision.
Validate against agreed targets, document the important decisions, and leave your team with work it can understand and maintain.
04 / Start a conversation
Tell us what you’re building, where things stand, and what’s blocking progress. We’ll start with the constraints and the next useful step.
Start the conversationPrefer to organize your thoughts first? Use our project brief.