José Soltren, an engineer currently based in Cedar Park, TX, became active on deskthority.net in December of 2014. On March 1st, 2015, José chose the handle XMIT, after a key on a terminal keyboard. https://deskthority.net/viewtopic.php?t=10066
XMIT may be pronounced as either “eks mitt”, “eks em eye tee” (as in ex-MIT, since José is an MIT alumnus), or “transmit”. Of these, “eks mitt” seems to be the most common.
XMIT was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, in a low income, single parent Welfare household in the 1990s. Without money for toys and hobbies, XMIT was forced to be creative. At age eight, XMIT was introduced to computer electronics through a parent taking courses at a local technical college in connection with the Welfare program. At age twelve, XMIT was introduced to the IBM Model F XT, as it was the keyboard to his first computer, an IBM PC/XT found on the street.
In middle and high school, XMIT became connected with other young computer enthusiasts. It was then that he noted that the “old” keyboards, such as the IBM Model F, IBM Model M, and Apple Extended Keyboard, seemed to have a superior key feel and build quality to the “new” keyboards, such as the Dell Quiet Key, IBM Rapid Response, and Apple Design Keyboard. Indeed, these keyboards still remain among XMIT’s favorites.
In college XMIT took an interest in low level systems software, microcontrollers, operating systems, and circuit design. XMIT used an IBM Model M keyboard through college. After college XMIT enjoyed a productive career as a software engineer before deciding to leave corporate work and focus full time on hardware-software projects such as keyboards.
In college and early in his career (mid to late 2000s), XMIT was disappointed to find that, even though all these great keyboards existed, there did not seem to be a great community. Certainly there was some passing interest in high end keyboards such as the CVT Avant Stellar and Prime, the Das Keyboard, the Cherry G80-3000, and for those lucky few, the Optimus Maximus. But since XMIT’s primary interest was the Model M, and those were still readily available in thrift stores for $5 apiece, he did not look into the community further.
Some time in 2011, XMIT purchased an IBM Model M Space Saving Keyboard (SSK) on eBay. He was disappointed to find that the keyboard was broken on arrival. At this time, XMIT discovered geekhack.org, and followed some directions there to perform a “bolt mod” on the SSK. This SSK was XMIT’s daily driver for many years.
In 2014 XMIT discovered deskthority.net and the community of keyboard enthusiasts document and analysing vintage keyboards and creating new, independent designs. As of this writing XMIT has 3587 posts on deskthority.net.
XMIT has participated in and supported a number of community projects, including:
- Electronics Plus warehouse liquidation;
- Cerakote experiment with an IBM Model M;
- Restoration of an NEC “Blue Ovals” keyboard;
- Documentation of membrane repair on a Model M;
- FSSK, an effort to retrofit a capsense PCB and Model F flippers into an SSK;
- Round 6 key caps by “7bit”;
- Using Soarer’s Converter and TMK firmwares for USB conversions with a Pro Micro;
- Phosphorglow’s “Colossus” Model M controller PCB;
- Replacement IBM Model M keyboard badges manufactured by pcbway;
- Reverse engineering of vintage Micro Switch Hall Effect keyboards and sensors;
- Sales of the XMIT Hall Effect Mechanical Keyboard;
- Collaboration with Das Keyboard.
By approaching the keyboard hobby with an engineering and manufacturing mindset, XMIT has been able to use 30 years’ worth of vintage keyboard designs to inform future work.
XMIT is married to MrsXMIT (Jane), also an MIT alum. They live in Cedar Park with their three children.
XMIT enjoys a Plum EC87 with matt3o’s /dev/tty keyset and his FSSK. MrsXMIT uses a KBparadise V80 (Costar) with Matias Quiet Click switches (Gaote) and double shot white-on-black ABS key caps (Tai Hao). The children enjoy playing with their toy rubber dome keyboards, and have Model Ms waiting for them in storage for when they get older.