Today I figured out the proper orientation for the SME2470 Emitter and the SMD2420 Detector which we will be using for the shadow sensor. A very simple diagram is shown in the first attachment (a photo from my notebook). My system is to always use a black wire for the ground side, which is in both cases the side with a flat (not half-moon-shaped) conductor. The emitter gets a white wire on the curved side, while the detector will get a red wire (so we can tell the two apart). Note that the wiring can be confusing because the Cathode and Anode side of the components are opposite for each, but the fact that they are placed in the reverse orientation un-does this.

The second attachments shows the emitter with two wires soldered onto it. This proved to be difficult. As noted in my notebook, the soldering iron can only be set to 500° F for 5 seconds before the part is ruined (according to its documentation), so making these connections strong took work. The final attachment shows the emitter mounted in the part I designed to hold it. (See my 7/16/13 ELOG).