Case Study / Frontier Audio Labs
From prototype to production-ready headset electronics on a startup timeline.
Frontier Audio Labs, a venture-backed startup developing advanced headsets for first responder and industrial environments, needed to rapidly transition from evaluation-module-based prototypes to manufacturable headset electronics after losing their lead electrical engineer. The headset required sophisticated active noise cancellation and beamforming microphone performance, but the team faced an extremely aggressive time-to-market schedule and could not afford lengthy hardware revision cycles. They needed an experienced engineering partner who could step in immediately and drive the hardware to production readiness.
Grinalds Solutions stepped in as electrical engineering leadership and accelerated the transition from prototype to production-ready hardware. We prioritized fast iteration and manufacturability by vertically integrating PCB design, component selection, and assembly with a single manufacturing partner, reducing revision cycles from months to weeks. Rather than over-optimizing early designs, we treated each hardware revision as a learning tool, enabling the team to fail fast, iterate confidently, and stay within startup burn-rate constraints.
Each ear cup integrates seven microphones: two feed-forward microphones for environmental noise capture, one feedback microphone for internal noise monitoring, and four beamforming microphones for directional input, all routed through ADCs into a GreenWaves GAP9 processor with multiple serial audio interfaces. The GAP9 handles DSP and inference processing before outputting to the driver DAC. We progressed from an external evaluation module feeding signals into a baffle PCB to a fully integrated custom PCB with the complete processor inside the headset cup.
We selected EasyEDA for rapid prototyping due to its direct BOM integration, real-time component availability checking, and faster handoff to manufacturing, prioritizing speed over traditional enterprise PCB CAD tools during the critical early phases. By negotiating assembly support for fine-pitch BGA packages beyond the manufacturer's standard capabilities, we ensured that dense, high-performance boards could be built without sourcing a specialty assembler. The result is a manufacturing-ready hardware platform that supports advanced ANC and beamforming functionality, delivered on a startup timeline and enabling Frontier Audio Labs to continue scaling product development with confidence.
Tell us about your constraints and we'll show you how we'd approach it.