A wireless controller, such as a keyboard, and reader combination comprises a controller having a plurality of keys, one or mechanical to electrical energy converters providing energy from key activation, an antenna, and one or more passive transponder circuits, coupled to the antenna and associated with the keys. The passive transponder circuits provide a coded response identifying a key in response to key activation employing power from the key activation to modulate the interrogating field. In particular backscatter modulation using the reflected interrogating field may be employed. An associated reader includes a source of the interrogating field applied to the antenna of the keyboard and a decoder for determining the coded response from the passive transponder circuits.