Jan, Will,
I am very aware of why the Schmidt designers eliminated the taillight functionality from the inverted Edelux. Since the taillight wire was a separate wire from the coaxial wire supplying dynamo power to the headlight, and whose routing was placed directly through the aluminum mount, it posed a problem for water collection. I get that. The issue I have is why did Schmidt decide that they had to eliminate taillight functionality just because they had to eliminate the taillight wiring? It seems to me that Schmidt did not want to move away from a 2-conductor co-axial wire input when designing the hanging/inverted version. If they had simply swapped out the 2-conductor co-axial wire for 3-conductor cabling, they wouldn't need a separate taillight output!
Since Schmidt didn't do this, I did. I have converted four "hanging" Edeluxes back into fully functional units that can control a taillight with the built-in switch. I did this by removing the original 2-conductor cabling and replacing it with the same outer diameter cable that carries three conductors. The third conductor is the taillight output, and is soldered to the taillight output section of the circuit, which is just left dormant in the hanging version. The new cable is sealed in the same way that the original is-- it is simply glued in place with a sealant-adhesive. The whole process involves a bit of microsurgery, and of course the warranty is instantly voided, but for customers of high-end custom bikes who didn't want to compromise on functionality and aesthetics, this was the most logical solution. This is what the converted handing Edelux looks like:
In other words, it looks identical to an unmodified hanging Edelux. The 3-conductor round cable is a perfect visual replacement for the 2-conductor cable that all Edeluxes come with, and facilitates restoration of the taillight functionality. The two most recent Weigle customs have my modified inverted Edeluxes and two other recent custom bikes are sporting them. Obviously there is a demand for this!!!
As to Will's point. I think a stem cap switch is an elegant (not clunky!), perfect solution to the Edelux's lack of taillight control. I am aware of this switch but I'm guessing it is even more of a niche product than the hanging Edelux. How many bikes have 1" threadless steerers? If you have a more common 1-1/8" threadless steerer, or you have a threaded steerer, this switch simply won't work, and the only other option is a clunky external switch (or a battery taillight), as I mentioned before.
In short, the hanging Edelux has a bombproof and elegant switch, but can't control a taillight. Simply put, this is a design deficit, and I don't see why Schmidt wasn't able to overcome this design deficit when I could.
Anton Tutter
Somerville, MA
PS-- To Will-- if your stem switch design served as the prototype for the Boulder switch, then kudos to you! I really like that switch, it reminds me of the old constructeur stem caps, and I only lament that it's limited to such a narrow subset of stem types.