Moisture, Residue, and Construction Variability Can Converge in Tantalum-Capacitor Leakage

What the evidence preview establishes

Moisture-assisted reactivation of previously isolated dielectric defects was a plausible contributor, while underside corrosion residue, voltage margin, mechanical damage, and MnO2-layer variability represented additional risks. No single feature explained every failed unit.

Why this case matters

Failure analysis is strongest when it distinguishes observed risk factors from proven causal correlation. Residue may demand corrective action even when it does not explain the measured failure population by itself.