Light Dependant Resistors - covering?

SteveF

Got a pedal project on the go and the BOM calls for a 5mm green LED and an “LDR (GL5516)”.  I assume any standard green 5mm LED will work?  

I’ve seen on a couple of groups on facebook that people heatshrink these together next to each other, or even go to the lengths of cutting the top off the LED and gluing the LDR and LED together before heatshrinking.  Is this necessary?  The circuit board seems to just show them sat next to each other and I imagine it’s pretty dark in a sealed enclosure.  

Any opinions from the pedal builders in here? 
 (~EDIT - changed the title, I’d answered my own original question before i posted but for got to change the title)
Cheers

Kalimna

Of the few LDR/LED pedals ive built, mostly tremolo's, i have heat shrinked the 2 together. One of them (Tremulus Lune i think) was really sensitive and had to have the LED touching, head-on, the LDR.
I am sure any green 5mm would do.
What is the projecr, btw?

Adam

SteveF

Kalimna said:

Of the few LDR/LED pedals ive built, mostly tremolo's, i have heat shrinked the 2 together. One of them (Tremulus Lune i think) was really sensitive and had to have the LED touching, head-on, the LDR.
I am sure any green 5mm would do.
What is the projecr, btw?

Adam

Just seen this reply, thanks very much. Probs better safe than sorry I guess.  Building a PedalPCB board. I actually can’t remember which one of the PCBs I ordered needs it!

they’re taking their sweet time to get here too, COVID-19 sucks! 

stickyfiddle

I did this on my Quaverato build last week. I heat-shrinked them, but no need for glue. 

If you’re only using one then you might get away without as it’ll be dark inside the pedal anyway, but if you using 2 or more you’ll want the heat shrink to be sure each LDR only “sees” light from wherever it’s supposed to

SteveF

Thanks.  So literally just have them end to end (touching?) and heat shrink together? 

stickyfiddle

Yep. The Quaverato instructions cover this really well - from pg 21 in the below.

https://www.zeppelindesignlabs.com/wp-content/uploads/docs/Quaverato-Assembly-Instructions-ZD3672-AND-UP.pdf

SteveF

That's great, thanks.  Wow those are really detailed instructions.  The PedalPCB ones just have the BOM and the off board wiring.