Which diode is which?

I have recently tried to harvest a diode from a benq DVD burner and i have two semi-identical diodes. I understand one emits IR and one emits red light but i can not find a way to identify them. I have tried to hook up a AAA battery but i cant get the contacts to touch right and it wont emit anything that i can see. Sometimes i think i see light but i am just really exited and nothing is comming out. Yes i am sure i have the right connections but i cant figure this out for the life of me. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks A lot!

P.S. Just out of curiosity, does an axiz housing require you to soldier the diode in place?

if u tried to hooking up a AAA battery to it i think u killed it (maybe)?

1.5 volts??? i don't think so.

batteries can spike to many times their rated power though, so it is possible that they could have been killed.

But when a diode dies, it turns into an LED, so if you have NO light coming out, then I'm not sure what the problem is!

I don't think one AAA is enough to power it.Safest way to test it is to build a circuit and power it properly with the voltage and the amount of current it needs.
You don't have to solder the diode to the Aixiz housing , just have to press it in.