Summit Systems (gulp) Reel Sensor Q

[ramegoom]

I know, I know. It's a Summit (Bally), but I'm determined to make it work properly and have a question that maybe someone can answer. It's more of an observation question regarding the optical readers for the reels. Each module has a very odd type of transistor-LED type of optical sensor, seems to protrude thru a hole in the PC board and soldered on both the top and bottom of it; then they rivet the two opposing PC boards together.

So my question is with regard to those transmitter-receiver arrangements. Can they be replaced with conventional phototransistors/LED's? Not that I'm having any real problem with them, but they seem pretty unreliable the way they're arranged on the reader modules.

Plus I have no idea where you'd get new components.
Here's the part I'm referring to:


Any input is much appreciated.