* s1:
> The point of using a PAL system would be for PAL compatibility.
>
> I guess I've been wrong in my assumptions. What would it take to get a C64 to
> run as PAL compatible in the US?
>
> Simply something that converts the 9VAC from 60Hz to 50Hz for the CIA and SID
> (not worried about the Userport and cassette port)?
The SID doesn't need the 9V AC to be *50 Hz*; it is converted to a secondary
5V and 12V (for old sid) internally, but the SID never "sees" the mains
frequency.
> The computer would still need to be PAL? Changing the 9VAC freq on an NTSC
> machine wouldn't have the same result?
No. The main differences between a PAL C64 and a NTSC C64 are:
1) The master clock frequency is higher on NTSC (1.023 MHz on NTSC, 0.985
MHz on PAL). This is implemented by means of a different crystal and
a different frequency division on the main board (selectable via a
jumper)
2) The PAL VIC is a different chip than an NTSC VIC. Display timing is
different due to the different video formats; an NTSC C64 has 65
clock cycles per raster line, a PAL C64 has 64. However, since the amount
of raster lines is different too, a PAL C64 has more clock cycles
*per frame* than an NTSC C64.
The display timing differences are the main cause of compatibility
issues between NTSC and C64, especially in games. Most of the more
advanced graphic tricks require cycle-exact programming. You cannot
get PAL timings on an NTSC chip, or vice versa.
For sake of completeness, there was also a PAL-N version of the C64
(used in the Argentinian "Drean C64") which kind of combined features
from both worlds. See
http://www.solidstate.com.ar/2011/06/flashback-vic-ii-timings/
for some details.
3) The mains frequency is different. This really only impacts the CIA's
TOD clock, which isn't used often.
If you want to *properly* run a PAL C64 in NTSC-land, you need to generate
a 50 Hz 9VAC line. If you don't intend to run Userport perepherals that use
the 9VAC line, you could probably go for the solution I posted before; I
think I would use a 1:1 transformer between that and the C64 in order
to get the desired galvanic isolation.