title: Microcontroller + Verilog/VHDL simulator?
body: <p>Over the years I've worked on a number of microcontroller-based projects; mostly with Microchip's PICs. I've used various microcontroller simulators, and while they can be very helpful at times, I often find myself frustrated. In real life microcontrollers never exist alone and the firmware's behavior is dependent on the environment. However, none of the sims I've used provide decent support for anything outside the microcontroller.</p>
  
  <p>My first thought was to model the entire board in Verilog. But, I'd rather not create an entire CPU model, and I haven't had much luck finding existing models for the chips I use. Regardless, I really don't need, or want, to simulate the proc at that level of detail, and I'd like to retain the debugging facilities provided by a regular processor sim.</p>
  
  <p>It seems to me that the ideal solution would be a hybrid simulator that interfaces a traditional processor simulator with a Verilog model.</p>
  
  <p>Does such a thing exist?</p>