The smartieparts board also comes with the back light included and has a EL driver chip which is frequency and power matched to the EL panel.
http://www.smartieparts.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=331
http://www.smartieparts.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=331