Future proof exciters

[lukelowry]

Description

A few changes since we have not released yet that will help with future-proofing this version a bit

Proposed changes

• Modern implementation of ports

Checklist

Put an x in the boxes that apply. You can also fill these out after creating
the PR. If you're unsure about any of them, don't hesitate to ask. We're here
to help! This is simply a reminder of what we are going to look for before
merging your code.

• All tests pass.
• Code compiles cleanly with flags -Wall -Wpedantic -Wconversion -Wextra.
• The new code follows GridKit™ style guidelines.
• There are unit tests for the new code.
• The new code is documented.
• The feature branch is rebased with respect to the target branch.
• The CHANGELOG.md has been updated to reflect the changes. If this is a minor PR that is part of a larger fix already included in the file, state so.

Further comments

If this is a relatively large or complex change, kick off the discussion by explaining
why you chose the solution you did and what alternatives you considered, etc...