Development and manufacturing of track occupancy detectors and interface modules for digitally controlled model railway layouts

Blücher-Elektronik

BerlinNew on Amplifa

1995Founded

Sole proprietorshipLegal form

3Employees (family business)

BerlinLocation

About Blücher-Elektronik

Blücher-Elektronik is a sole proprietorship founded in 1995 by Dipl.-Ing. Uwe Blücher, based at Barstrasse 23 in Berlin. The company develops and manufactures electronic assemblies for digitally controlled model railway layouts, including 16-channel track occupancy detectors (GBM16XN, GBM16XL, GBM16X-8A, GBM16XS), reversing loop modules, relay boards, interface modules for the LocoNet, RS, s88 and XpressNet buses, as well as LocoNet accessories. The occupancy detectors operate on the principle of current measurement using power diodes mounted on aluminium heat sinks; microcontrollers and firmware are developed and maintained in-house. Since 2022, production of the GBM16XN and GBM16XL track occupancy detectors has been discontinued due to age; remaining stock is being sold off, small new runs of interfaces are being produced, and repairs of the company's own assemblies are carried out. Customers have included the Postsportverein Berlin (model railway section), a large layout in the Eifel region and the LOXX. The family business is run by Uwe Blücher with the support of Ilse and Max Blücher.

Site: Berlin
Processes: Repairs of the company's own assemblies, Remaining stock sales, Sell-off of used assemblies (provision of supplier list), Support with technical problems
Materials: Aluminium heat sinks, Microcontrollers, Power diodes
Founded: 1995
Industries: Model railway electronics, Garden railway, Model railway electronics (digitally controlled model railway layouts)

01
Development (hardware and firmware)
02
PCB manufacturing
03
Component placement and assembly
04
Sales and support
05
Repair service

Electronics and Technology

Aluminium heat sinks

Used as heat sinks for the 8 A power diodes of the track occupancy detectors.

Microcontrollers

Microcontroller-controlled assemblies with in-house developed firmware.

DIO

Power diodes

Anti-parallel connected 8 A power diodes as current sensors for track occupancy detection.

Location

Berlin

Company headquarters, development and manufacturing

Products

**16-channel track occupancy detector GBM16XL**Microcontroller-controlled assembly · Model railway

**Track occupancy detector GBM 16XN Vers. 2.X**railCom-capable · Model railway

**Track occupancy detector GBM 16X-8A**16-channel · Model railway

Inside the production

Track occupancy detector GBM 16XN Version 2.X

Industries

Model railway electronicsGarden railwayModel railway electronics (digitally controlled model railway layouts)

Additional services

Repairs of the company's own assembliesRemaining stock salesSell-off of used assemblies (provision of supplier list)Support with technical problems

Reference customers

PSV-Berlin (Postsportverein Berlin, model railway section)Large layout in the Eifel regionLOXX

History

1966
Development of a level indicator for a grain silo by Uwe Blücher during his studies
1980
Development of the 8-channel track occupancy detector GBM8X with s88 bus
1989
Publication of a practical book by FRANZIS-Verlag about the computer-controlled club layout of the Postsportverein Berlin
1995
Founding of Blücher-Elektronik; development of the 16-channel track occupancy detector GBM16X with pluggable interfaces
2010
Launch of the railCom-capable track occupancy detector GBM16XN
2011
Discontinuation of GBM16X-8A production; replaced by GBM16XL
2021
Discontinuation of sales of the LocoBuffer USB Vers. 3.0; replaced by the Digitrax module PR4
2022
Discontinuation of production of the GBM16XN and GBM16XL occupancy detectors; sell-off of remaining stock and small new production runs