As the title says. Where would I buy these little devices? eBay came up with nothing and I google widebeam IR LED and can't seem to find them. I'm using them in this **broken link removed**. I could buy the kit but could build it on a perfboard for much cheaper.
There are many IR LED types designed for particular applications , like remote control, distance measurement, CD players and optical fiber links. If you need a narrow beam, IR optics can help. The simplest way is to use a small parabolic mirror like in a flashlight, and adjust it with an IR photodiode moving across the beam for the best beam width.