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Updated November 10, 2026
Error 31 (shown as TPH CAM error) means the printhead did not move to where the printer expected. The printhead is raised and lowered by a small cam: a gear turned by a motor, with a sensor that confirms its position. If the cam is blocked, or the sensor cannot see it, the printer stops and shows Error 31.
1 Restart the printer and listen to the startup. 2 With the power off, look around the printhead for anything caught: a bit of card, ribbon, tape or label backing. 3 If Error 31 comes back, send us a 20-second video of the printer starting up and we will tell you which part it is. Technicians can use the Advanced section below.
What you can check yourself
Turn the printer off, wait 30 seconds, and turn it back on with the cover closed. During startup the printer runs a self-test and you should hear the printhead lift and drop. If the error clears and the printer stays ready, print a test card.
If it comes back, film the startup on your phone with the sound on. Whether that motor turns or stays silent is the first thing we need to know.
Turn the printer off and unplug it. Open the cover, lift out the ribbon cartridge and shine a flashlight around the printhead and the gears you can see beside it. Anything stuck in the cam gear will block it: a piece of a card, a scrap of ribbon, tape, or the backing from the cleaning roller.
If you can see it, pull it out with tweezers. Never force a gear by hand, and do not use metal tools near the printhead. Put the ribbon back, close the cover gently and restart.
The rest is inside the printer case: the cam gear, the cam sensor, the cam motor and its wiring. Our technicians will tell you which one it is from your video and walk you through the fix or arrange the repair. If you are comfortable working inside electronics, the full procedure is in the Advanced section below.
The cam sensor and motor sit on and behind the main circuit board. If you have not opened one of these printers before, call us first. A wrong move can damage the board or the printhead cable.
What causes Error 31
| Cause | What you notice | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Something caught in the cam gear | A grinding or clicking noise at startup; a scrap you can see near the printhead | Remove it (step 2, or Advanced A) |
| Dirty or damaged cam sensor | The motor turns at startup, but Error 31 still shows | Clean the sensor; replace it if cleaning does not help (Advanced B) |
| Cam motor or its wiring | Silence at startup: the printhead never moves | Check the wiring; replace the motor if the wiring is fine (Advanced C) |
Advanced: full Error 31 diagnosisFor technicians and experienced users. The outer case must be removed.
Before you start: power off, unplug the power cable and the USB or network cable, and remove the ribbon and cards. Work in this order, and restart the printer after each fix to see whether Error 31 has cleared. These are the three causes Seaory's engineers list for Error 31.
A. Cam gear blocked by debris
With the case off, the cam gear sits on the shaft beside the printhead assembly, viewed from above. Look between the teeth of the large black cam gear and around its hub for anything lodged there: a scrap of card or ribbon, tape, label backing or plastic. Remove it with tweezers and restart.
B. Cam sensor dirty or damaged
The cam position is read by a small green sensor board with two slot-type optical sensors, marked S1 and S2. A tab on the cam passes through the slot of each one. Dust, ribbon flakes or debris in a slot blocks the light and the printer loses the cam position.
- Clean inside both slots with a dry swab or a short burst of compressed air. Do not use liquid.
- Check that the sensor is not cracked or bent and that its cable is seated.
- Restart. If Error 31 is still there after cleaning, replace the cam sensor board.
C. Cam motor wiring or a failed motor
The test is the startup self-test: does the cam motor turn when the printer powers on? The cam motor is a small round DC motor with a brass worm gear on its shaft, at the lower left of the gear side of the printer.
- Motor does not turn at startup: check the motor cable first, at the motor and at its connector on the main circuit board. It must be pushed fully home, with no pinched, cut or loose wires.
- Wiring is fine and the motor still does not turn: replace the cam motor.
- Motor turns but Error 31 stays: go back to B. The sensor is not seeing the cam.
Replacement cam sensors and motors come from Bodno support. Send the printer model, serial number and your startup video and we will ship the right part.
Send these with your first message and we can skip a round
- Printer model and serial number (label on the back of the printer)
- A 20-second phone video of startup, sound on, cover closed
- Whether you found anything caught near the printhead, and a photo if you did
- When it started: a new printer, after a jam, after a ribbon change or after a move
Guide prepared with Seaory after-sales engineering from real Bodno support cases. Updated November 10, 2026. Applies to Seaory S25, S26 and S28 sold by Bodno.
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