Spoke with a Gent at
http://partsvault.com/ about the A3977 Ic's. He sells only in large volumes. Though he mentioned we could get one from
www.newarkinone.com. He too is instrested in Astronomy and i asked him to come have a look. He also has stepper motors with very low step angle for about $20. These were made for a specific client with specific needs. But the price is for 100+ units.