The air pump will help a little. I used it while trying to find different ways of using the AMNPS in different units for a friend. For me with the equipment on hand it's a PITA.
One of the main factors using the AMNPS is the pellet being used. In my search the easiest to burn are the pellets from Amazin. I tried two other brands, one would burn with a good amount of air flow, the other would not work at all, even after a short visit to the micro-wave.
For long smokes,I fill a food blender 1/4 full of the poor burning pellets and pulverize them to a very fine powder and then fill the smoker level with the dust. By lighting one end, I can get a 17 hours or more light smoke. In order to keep the heat down in a small smoker this is the method I would recommend.
Keep in mind when smoking cheese that you will want to keep the internal smoker temperature below 75°. You can play with it by adjusting the level of fuel being used.