Performance comparison of continuous conduction mode (CCM) and discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) flyback converters

This paper presents performance comparison of continuous conduction mode (CCM) and discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) flyback converters. The comparison is conducted through experiment on the 5 V/25 W, 50 kHz prototype CCM and DCM flyback converters, which have been designed and built with similar circuit layouts, components, and power ratings. Aspects to be compared are component stress, output voltage regulation and transient response due to a step-load, and efficiency. The pros and cons for each mode of operation are discussed based on the experimental results.