
If you're getting Centauri Carbon Error 103, it usually means the printhead isn't heating up or maintaining temperature like the printer expects. The message may say something like “The print head didn't heat up as expected.”
The good news is this doesn't necessarily mean your entire printhead is bad.
Check the Hotend First
I'd start with the easiest thing: power the printer completely off and let the hotend cool down.
Remove the printhead cover and make sure the hotend and its electrical connections are fully seated. A loose connection can cause the temperature to suddenly drop and trigger Error 103.
If you have a spare Centauri Carbon hotend, swapping it in is also an easy way to rule out the heater or thermistor.
Check the USB-C Printhead Cable
Another surprisingly common cause of Centauri Carbon Error 103 is the USB-C style cable going to the printhead.
Centauri Carbon owners have reported fixing Error 103 simply by reseating or replacing this cable. In some cases, the connector wasn't seating deeply enough into the printhead.
So before buying a bunch of expensive parts, I'd unplug and firmly reseat that connection and see if the problem disappears.
Watch Your Nozzle Temperature
Try heating the nozzle manually and watch the temperature on the screen.
If you set it to 220°C and it heats normally but then suddenly starts dropping, that's a good indication you're dealing with a hotend, heater, thermistor, wiring, or connection problem rather than something in your slicer.
Still Getting Error 103?
If reseating the hotend and printhead cable doesn't fix it, I'd contact Elegoo before randomly replacing parts.
There are reports of Elegoo sending replacement cables and other printhead components to owners experiencing Error 103.
Overall, I'd troubleshoot Centauri Carbon Error 103 in this order: check and reseat the hotend, check the printhead cable, try another hotend if you have one, and then contact Elegoo if the error keeps coming back.