Hi there! I’m XMIT. I’ve been active in the keyboard community since about 2014, when I finally stopped lurking and started contributing. Since then I’ve done a bunch of things, such as running sales for 500+ vintage keyboards, raiding recycling facilities and warehouses, posting pictures and repair information for numerous keyboards, and bringing a modern Hall Effect keyboard to market.
My interest in keyboards started well before 2014. Back in high school (late 90’s, early 00’s) us computer nerds quickly found that the “old” IBM and Apple keyboards (Model M, AEK I with Salmons) were much better built and better feeling than the “new” ones (rubber domes). So, we sought out these old, large, loud, beige keyboards. I’ve had a Model M in service since then, in one form or another.
Besides that, I’ve had a lifelong interest in electronics. Someone once said that “Getting Started in Electronics” by Forrest Mims was so easy to read that a third grader could follow it. Well, speaking from experience, it’s true: I read that book in third grade, and I learned more from this book than my college course on microelectronics. Ah well.
Offline, I’ve got a wife, three kids, a house, and a day job working for a well known semiconductor firm as a software person.
I’m excited to be a part of this community and am excited to see where it goes!