What is this? Kenny r2-d2 ANH feet rollers question (identified!)

[zorg]

I'm making a set of roller skates for my Kenny Baker R2 ANH build.

i just can't get my head around what this part is or even its purpose, any ideas? what are you seeing? do you have any other reference of his skates?

thank you rpf you're my only hope...........

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Isn't that a motor roller? Either to make him move or to stop him from moving.

 

[thd9791]

to my untrained eye... (well I AM alright with blurry photos, but not R2 stuff)

It looks like the wall of the roller cage continues straight and stops right at the axel of the last roller, or a little after. The piece on the side looks like a short cylinder with a piece sticking out the side, check out the shadow beneath it, that piece is not connected to the wall. Logic would tell me that's a motor and that part used to be a conveyer belt or something.

 

[thd9791]

similar product:
Gravity Roller Conveyor

 

[zorg]

well it looks like the mystery has been solved over on the astromech site.

the larger roller was apparently a non return roller. the piece on the side is "99.9%" a ratchet handle with most of the handle cut off and mounted into a block.

this would enable that roller to non return in both directions by turning the knob and freewheel when needed, a pretty simple idea using and off the shelf part.

kudos goes to

RICKSTRICKLAND1969 ​

over at the astromech site