The 1.5 Ohm ESR is the series resistance that limits ripple current and self-heating. For a 100 kHz buck converter output, the ripple voltage across this capacitor is ESR × ripple current — keep the ripple current below 300 mA RMS to stay within the 55°C temperature rise limit typical for a 1210 tantalum at 125°C ambient. At the high end, the leakage current doubles every 10°C above 25°C — budget for increased DC leakage in a 105°C engine-bay application.
1210 footprint — board layout notes
The size code T (3.50 mm × 2.80 mm × 1.20 mm) matches the standard 1210 (3528 metric) land pattern. The low 1.20 mm seated height suits tight card-edge or mezzanine assemblies where vertical clearance is under 1.5 mm.
The TAJ series is a broad, mature product line from KYOCERA AVX, so supply continuity is stable for existing designs and new builds alike.
General-purpose tantalum — where it fits
Marked as General Purpose, this part is suitable for bulk decoupling, bypass, and filtering in power supplies, DC-DC converters, and signal conditioning circuits. It is not a low-ESR or polymer type — do not use it in high-ripple or low-impedance applications where a 1.5 Ohm ESR would dominate the loss budget.
