usi3d

Centauri Carbon: errors 101, 102, 103 or 104 (bed or printhead not heating, or a thermistor fault)

Guide based on the manufacturer's official documentation; usi3d has not yet verified it on a machine.

Technology: FDM · Brand: Elegoo · Symptoms: The printer shows an error code or message, The hotend or the bed does not heat, Temperature error (MINTEMP, MAXTEMP, thermal runaway) · Updated on 9 October 2026

Symptom

The Centauri Carbon stops with «Error Code: 101» (the heated bed did not heat up as expected), 102 (anomaly reading the bed NTC thermistor), 103 (the print head did not heat up as expected) or 104 (anomaly reading the printhead NTC thermistor).

Likely causes, from most to least likely

  1. 101: room temperature outside the recommended range (5 to 40 °C), the bed thermistor or its cable, the bed heater, the cable between the mainboard and the heated bed control board, or one of those boards.
  2. 102: the bed thermistor cable is loose, or the heated bed or mainboard is faulty.
  3. 103: damaged extruder communication cable (Type-C), damaged heating adapter board pins, a loose heating board connector or a damaged ceramic heating plate.
  4. 104: damaged adapter board pins or nozzle thermistor.

Checks to tell which one it is

  • Check the room temperature: Elegoo recommends using it between 5 and 40 °C.
  • For 101, set the bed to 60 °C and see whether the error appears; if not, let it cool fully (it can take over 20 minutes) and try 90 °C from cold.
  • For 103, set the nozzle to 200 °C and move the extruder by hand side to side and back and forth: if the error only appears when moving it, the extruder communication cable is faulty.

Before you start

Before taking anything apart, cleaning or adjusting it, switch the printer off and unplug it, unless a step says otherwise, and do not touch the nozzle, the heater block or the bed until they have cooled down. If in any doubt about electricity, heat or moving parts, stop and ask a professional.

Step-by-step fix

  1. Workaround if 101 only appears above 60 °C

    Heat the bed to 60 °C first and, once it is stable, raise it to 90 °C or the temperature you need.

    Check: The bed reaches temperature without the error.

    If that does not fix it: Follow the bed steps (step 4) or contact Elegoo support.

  2. 103 when moving the extruder: replace the cable

    If 103 only appears when moving the extruder, replace the extruder communication cable with a new one.

    Check: The extruder heats and moves without error.

    If that does not fix it: Check the printhead connectors (next step).

  3. Reseat the printhead connectors (103 and 104)

    Switch off, cut the filament by pushing the cutter lever backwards, remove the printhead front cover, unplug the part cooling fan cable and loosen the two assembly screws (2.5 mm key). Reseat the ceramic heater connector (103) or the thermistor connector (104) and check the pins are straight.

    Check: With the nozzle at 220 °C the error no longer appears.

    If that does not fix it: With a multimeter and the printer off: the ceramic heater should read about 10 Ω and the thermistor about 100 kΩ at 25 °C (about 65 kΩ at 35 °C). If not, replace the part following Elegoo's guide.

  4. Bed (101 and 102): only if you can work safely with electricity

    The heated bed control board carries mains voltage. Switch off, unplug and wait until all lights are off before removing the ten bottom cover screws (2.0 mm key). Reseat the HBED cables on the mainboard and the bed board, and the BED connector. If you are not experienced, do not open the base: contact Elegoo support.

    Check: The bed heats without errors.

    If that does not fix it: Send Elegoo the information in the next step.

  5. Information for Elegoo support

    If the error persists, write to Elegoo support with: country and mains voltage, room temperature, whether 101 appears at 60 and at 90 °C, whether the mainboard and bed board lights respond when heating, the condition of the connectors, the serial number and the firmware version.

    Check: Support can tell you which part to replace.

    If that does not fix it: Follow their instructions.

Prevention

  • Use the printer in a room between 5 and 40 °C.
  • Do not pull or over-bend the printhead wiring when cleaning or replacing parts.
  • Before opening the base, switch off, unplug and wait until all lights are off.

Still not fixed?

Tell usi3d's AI about your case: choose your printer, describe what you see and add photos if you like. It proposes checks step by step, with their sources.

Tell the AI about your case

Printers it applies to

Elegoo Centauri Carbon.

Official sources

This guide summarises the official documentation linked here:

This guide is general information: usi3d has summarised it from the official documentation linked here, and it may not match your model, its version or its firmware. If in doubt, follow the manual and the support of your printer's manufacturer. You decide what you do with your machine, and working on it may affect its warranty.

Related guides